Follow Your Instincts
by Breathing in Poison
Summary: Mikaela Hyakuya has never been able to stomach the scents of anyone other than his family. For an unmarked, unmated omega, this is practically unheard of- lack of heat cycles from starvation be damned. Available omegas were supposed to crave the scents of viable mates, not be repulsed by them.
1. Chapter 1

One of the few things Mikaela was thankful about vamperism was the way it stopped the heats.

There was nothing around him to provoke it, anyways. All the other vampire's scents were faded- dull, muted things clinging to them like the scraps of their old humanity, some barely doing more than flagging them as an alpha or a beta. Occasional spikes of scent came in brief moments of interest, and went as quickly as they had arrived, leaving only the dull buzz of old pheromones behind.

With some, it was different, he supposed- Ferid's scent was sharper, more nuanced with curiosity and amusement and hostility, though Mika despised him enough that even his most base of instincts refused to react to it. Crowley smelled overpoweringly of alpha no matter how flat it was from the lack of passion, though to Mika's still half-human body it did stir a faint sense of alertness. He was always far more aware, biologically, of Crowley's presence than Ferid- as dull as it was from centuries of nothing more than occasional posturing, Crowley's build and the way he presented himself still stirred the faintest feelings of _submission_ , of _present yourself to the alpha_ and _submit to him to save yourself_ that always left Mika in an uneasy state of alertness. And Krul, dominant though she was, had been turned before her dynamic presented, so she was basically scentless.

That was really only half of the matter. With the vamprism came the inability to properly eat human food anymore, and his refusal to drink human blood meant that he was in a permanent half-starved state that made heats physically impossible, which was a blessing as much as it was a curse. What didn't have anything to do with his vamprism was the way he reacted to the scents- how completely, utterly goddamned disgusting they were to him, even when they occasionally stirred feelings of submission in the deepest, most animalistic part of his soul.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be. Unmarked, unmated omegas were supposed be _attracted_ to alpha scents, even if they, as individuals, hated them with a passion. Alphas were supposed to be _good_ for an omega's body. They were supposed to excite them, to rile them up to the highest of passions and then balance them out to a quiet plateau of safety and security. It was the way the dynamics worked. All omegas found that an alpha's scent had at least some positive effect on them.

All of them but Mika.

And it wasn't just the vampires who had no effect on him. The humans were the same way. His first time out on a patrol, Mika had been terrified of coming across an alpha human and his body reacting to it, but his worry had been for naught. The humans were stronger, sure, and more vibrant with their emotions and hopes and desires spiking and running through their scents like an invisible waterfall of feelings. But they did nothing more than make him wrinkle his nose and step as far away from them as possible. Their scents were rank and grating. Mika wanted nothing to do with them.

The only scents that hadn't bothered him were those of his family, the clean, warm fragrance of unpresented pups reminding his body of safety, of home. Even before he had started presenting, he had felt soothed by how sweet they were, how pure. Even when Akane had started to smell faintly of beta and Yuu very clearly began presenting as an alpha- to no one's surprise- it had felt nice. Right. They were a family, a pack, and they reflected it perfectly, despite how young they were. It had made his young omegan heart happy to be with them, providing everything for them and caring, and being provided and cared for in return.

When they died, it was like a part of Mika had died with them. His presentation heat had arrived not long after, but the clothes and belongings Krul had managed to collect for his nest had given him no relief. The scents of his family did not soothe him like they should have- they only reminded him of his loss. He had spent the three miserable days of his first heat with his head buried under the pillows of the bed they used to share with the soft, heartbroken cries of a mourning omega as his only company.

Krul had wanted to burn the items afterwards. He agreed, but in a fit of anxiety had ended up hiding them the night before they were to be destroyed, too attached to let go of them. It made him feel horrifically guilty afterwards- what kind of omega couldn't even give his dead family members a proper sendoff, even if it was just burning their old things? - but he couldn't help himself. Even now, when his despair threatened to break his cool exterior, he would pull out the stuffed bear he and Yuu used to share together as they slept and bury his face into its soft fur, desperately inhaling any trace of Yuu's scent left in it for comfort.

It smelled more of him now than anything else, the faded four-year-old pheromones of an alpha just barely beginning to earn his scent no match for the scent of a nearly full-grown omega, lack of heats be damned. Mika wholeheartedly mourned the loss.

 _He remembers what it was like to sleep next to Yuu's side-Yuu was prideful, and hated showing affection to others outright, but he wasn't able to sleep without someone next to him because of the way memories of his past would haunt him in his nightmares. Night after night they would lie together in a tangle of limbs, the warm bodies of their family pressed against them as a safeguard against the cold underground nights. After Yuu started presenting, Mika started to guess it was not because of childhood fears but the beginning of an alpha's protective instinct that spurred him to sleep with his arms around as many of the kids as he could._

 _Mika didn't mind. Yuu's new scent and overprotectiveness was different, but it was comforting, and after a while he began sleeping with his head buried in the crook of Yuu's neck, the scent of his friend calming like almost nothing else. When Mika's scent started developing into that of an omega, Yuu started doing the same thing, grumbling about how it was only because Mika made sure to bathe regularly that he could stand being so close to him, because the others stank and he stank a little less. When Mika started visiting Ferid, he forced Yuu to stop, not wanting him to worry about Mika's safety, but the anger that his attempts elicited from Yuu fully made up for it._

 _After all, it meant that he cared, and that he had liked sleeping with Mika's scent, no matter how faint it was. Something about that had made Mika feel warm and wanted in places the younger children, despite their sweetness, couldn't help._

Nothing else could compare. Not the stale, soulless scents of the apex predators he now belongs to. Not the humans who charge at him, reeking of fear and hatred and demons. The only scent that could ever calm him was Yuu's; sometimes, when Krul could sense the malcontent simmering under his skin, she would send for vampires to try to spy on him, hiding the true intent under the claim that she wanted to keep an eye on her missing seraph. None got close enough to give more than purely visual updates- he's with the military, he's training and appears to be in prime health, the humans don't seem to have awakened his potential as a weapon yet- but some came closer. One even came back with a little scrap of fabric that had been torn off the uniform of a high-ranking officer, claiming that it smelled like the queen's lost pet. Mika had been all over it the minute Krul had dismissed the soldier, desperately trying to find any traces of Yuu under the alpha's overwhelming stink.

It had been difficult- whoever this alpha was, he was strong and apparently fond of asserting his dominance- but it had been worth it in the end. Mika's body had responded instantly once he managed to trace the distinctive saltwater and citrine tang that had always seemed to hang around Yuu, no matter how many times he'd tried to scrub it off his skin.

 _Pack. Family._

Whatever Krul had been hoping to achieve by giving Mika something containing Yuu's scent had backfired. The last time Mika had scented Yuu, they were both young, their pheromones and bodies not yet done with developing. This time, Mika's body was primed and ready for a mate, even without his heat cycle, and the strength of Yuu's scent proved that he was much the same way. Mika had been driven up the wall with restless need for two days afterwards, pacing and whining and snapping at anyone who dared to approach him.

It had irritated the fuck out of Krul, and on the dawn of the second day, when he nearly bit her hand off for touching him, she had slammed him into the ground and pinned him under her boot until he had stopped writhing and hissing.

 _"_ _Are you done yet?" The vampire queen glared down at him with undisguised ire, her scent flaring with rage. Mika had glared back, fangs bared to the gums, fingers clenching on the ankle of her boot in a grip that was nothing short of bone-crushing to the average human. The unrelenting stare of his sire proved to be too much, however, and he soon felt his body relaxing under her without his consent, his eyes darting to the side, head tipping back in pure submission as both his vampire and omegan instincts yielded him to her higher power._

 _"_ _No." He managed to spit out. Krul snorted._

 _"_ _Your body language says otherwise." The whites of Mika's eyes flashed, blue irises glaring at her with pure hatred from the corners. She snorted and removed her foot, watching dispassionately as Mika struggled to force his body into a half-kneeling position, all instincts in his body screaming at him to continue submitting. "Really, Mika. I know you're an omega and I know Yuu is important to you, but this is ridiculous."_

 _Mika had snarled, a short, vengeful sound of defiance. "I need to save him. He's my family. I need to get him away from...wherever he is...before he gets hurt."_

 _Krul studied him, then, without warning, stepped forward and yanked his head to the side, ignoring Mika's hiss of rage. She scented him, then stepped back, nose wrinkled._

 _"_ _You reek." Mika shook his hair out, clicking his teeth defiantly. Krul tutted at his disobedience, but her eyes were cold and distant. "I mean it. You stink of pheromones, Mikaela. Just what was Yuu to you?"_

 _Mika shifted in his position, suddenly all too aware of the cues his body was giving off. His scent had spiked more dramatically than it had done in years, and his skin was hot and uncomfortably itchy. His limbs burned with anxious energy, and he was twitchy and irritable. His fangs and fists ached like he wanted to fight an army. Somewhere deep within his chest ached with emptiness._

 _He hadn't felt this way since he'd presented as an omega._

 _Krul watched him squirm, then sighed. "I figured. Goddamn, now I regret giving you anything that smelled like him. Get up, Mika, come here."_

 _Mika rose and reluctantly slunk forward into Krul's waiting arms. She clenched him tight against her, hands stroking firmly through his hair and over the back of his neck, surrounding him in the stale, sterile musk that Mika had come to associate as Krul's individual scent._

 _It did nothing to soothe the ache in him, but her touch was confident and surprisingly calming. Mika found himself relaxing into her, throat trilling with the reluctant coo of a pleased omega._

 _Krul nuzzled his hair, then withdrew, though she kept her arms loosely encircled around him, perhaps sensing just how much he needed the contact._

 _"_ _How much do you know about your dynamic?" She asked, red eyes studying Mika's face. Mika remained silent, eyes flitting away from her searching gaze, and she sighed._

 _"_ _Mika, just because you don't have heats doesn't mean that you can neglect learning about your body." Mika tensed, but didn't comment. "You don't know about scent bonds? How omegas react to alpha pheromones? I know you're not stupid, Mika, but that's pretty dumb of you."_

 _Mika shrugged, feeling his face burn with the humiliation of failure. He'd read up on omegas, yes, but he didn't focus on anything past the heats and the basics of omegan physiology, too focused on finding any details that could help him become stronger so he would be able to protect himself on the battlefield._

 _And he'd done well with that. Even for a vampire, Mika was formidably fast and sharp-witted, using his omegan speed and wits to outsmart his flashier opponents so he could go straight for the kill. Still, it was humiliating that someone who didn't even present knew more about his own body than he did, thousands of years of experience be damned._

 _Krul cupped his face gently. "Read up before you see me again. Luckily for you, I did some reading myself after I turned you and it became apparent that you would continue to age past your presentation point."_

 _She was silent for a second, fingers gently rubbing along the undersides of his ears and jaw. Mika hoped his appreciative purring was subliminal- for some reason, the skin- on- skin contact was immensely soothing, even if he was still a little irritable._

 _"_ _...Your body is craving your alpha." Mika jerked under her touch, eyes wide, but Krul didn't seem to notice. "I don't know how close your bond ran, but it's deep enough that his scent threw you into a panic. Even if you are just instinctively bonded as pack, your system recognized him and told you that you needed to be near him by throwing you into...whatever this is."_

 _She pulled back and studied him again, nose wrinkling. Mika's scent had spiked noticeably at her words, but his emotions were too mixed and her body too young for her to accurately read what he was feeling. Mika wasn't so sure about it, either. "If it wasn't for the fact that we have no idea what your cycle is, I'd say that you'd be in heat right now. As it is, I'm glad that it's nothing more than hormonal mood swings."_

 _Mika bowed his head, confused beyond words. Krul smelled the shame in his scent and sighed again._

 _"_ _Mika, stop. I know he saw you as family. I know that meant everything to you. But you developed breathing in each other's scents before you were separated, and now you've scented him as a full adult, and your body responded accordingly. If whatever this is is as close as you can come to heat right now, then it's because he triggered it."_

 _She studied him with eyes that were almost inscrutable but held the faintest traces of pity. "I'm going to be declaring war on the humans soon. You probably already know why, but I'm going to need my missing weapon back, and I need you in perfect working order. When the opportunity comes, I want you to capture Yuu and wait somewhere safe, somewhere off the battlefield."_

 _Mika nodded enthusiastically, desperation to save Yuu returning in full force. Something inside him stirred, something protective and primal._

 _He felt like his body was burning from the inside out._

 _Krul smiled and patted him on the head, glad to see him on her side once more. "Good. You can go now."_

 _Mika bowed to her and stood, his head still angled in a semi-submissive tilt, though it now a gesture of respect, not of self-preservation. He set off to the library, head swirling with thoughts and fire, halting only when Krul called out to him one last time._

 _"_ _Oh, and Mika?" He turned to her, blinking, then felt foreboding settle in his stomach as his eyes met hers. Her face was grim, warm smile replaced with a worried stare._

 _"_ _Don't deny your instincts." Her eyes searched his, looking for something he wasn't sure he could give. "Some things are there for a reason, Mika. If you deny yourself what you need, the repercussions can be far more severe than what you may think."_

 _Mika couldn't hold her gaze any longer. He dropped his eyes to the floor and turned without a word, leaving with a promise he knew he could never keep dying on his lips._

...

The rain-washed grey concrete was cold and unforgiving against Mika's back as he perched in a niche over the city, eyes as icy as the stone under him surveying the blood and carnage that surrounded the main unit of the Imperial Demon Army.

Nine Horsemen, dead and festering, all the work of one squad. Mika had recognized the scent of the alpha leading it instantly, the arrogant stench rousing something dark and snarling within him.

The last time he scented it, it had almost completely masked the one scent that never failed to stir his slow-beating heart into nervous, happy flutters, never failed to lose its sweetness and safety, so unlike the pungent reek of the other alphas, betas, and omegas in the units below him.

This man wasn't just some alpha who knew Yuu. He was a challenge to Mika's safety, to his family.

Something heated stirred under Mika's skin, something ancient and needy and possessive. He bared his fangs to the cool grey sky and hissed a challenge, not caring when his scent spiked with aggression.

He was an omega who had watched his pack be torn from him while he was still breathing, and had been forced to live even when everything in him had cried for death. There was nothing left for him to give. Yuu's place by his side meant everything to him.

And if that meant sacrificing himself, then so be it. 


	2. Chapter 2

This alpha did not know how to shut his goddamn mouth.

Mika's sword clanged against his opponent's with superhuman force, propelling the alpha into the side of a collapsed building. Magic sizzled in the air, the tang of blood mixing with the acrid taste of demon power at work.

As well as with the cocky stench of the alpha in front of him. Not for the first time in his life, Mika wished for a portable bottle of scent blocker. Maybe if he inhaled the whole damn thing he would be able to go around his daily business without being assaulted with someone else's for a change.

Said alpha climbed out of the rubble and laughed, seemingly oblivious to the trickle of blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth. "Damn, I'll give it to you kid, you're stronger than you look. What are you physically? Fifteen? That's pretty impressive, even for a supernatural freak like you."

"I haven't even been trying," Mika replied dryly, watching his opponent pick his way over from his crater of impact with half-lidded eyes. Any other human would have been long dead or unconscious by now- disgusted though he was by the strength of the human's scent, the man he was fighting was an alpha, and the instinctual fear that always raced through him at their rage always drove him to end their fights as quickly as can be- but this alpha was really starting to grate on his nerves. He didn't mind extending the fight if that meant more time to whip his sorry ass.

Besides, this was the man who had taken Yuu away.

Every fiber of his being revolted at the thought, growling even when his mind tried to tell himself to be reasonable. He raised his sword and silently willed it to drink blood again, a fierce sense of satisfaction jolting through him as the thorns dug deeper into his flesh.

The soldier noticed his ire and grinned, relishing in the challenge. He lunged forward, demon weapon glowing with power, and met Mika's blade with a burst of power that made the ground crack under Mika's feet.

"Arrogant, aren't you?" The alpha breathed. Mika glared into his burning purple eyes, but said nothing, preferring to slide his sword away so he could slice the legs out from underneath the superior officer. The human blocked, predatory grin stretching wider as he flicked Mika's sword away.

"What's your secondary gender, vampire? I don't think I've ever fought a being like you, and I've slaughtered hundreds of your race."

Mika bounded up onto the ruins of a sculpture to avoid a pulse of demon magic, then turned and perched, watching nonchalantly as tendrils of black and purple rose in a cloud around the alpha human.

So he hadn't guessed yet? Interesting.

"And what does that matter to you? You'll be dead soon otherwise." Mika crouched, then pounced, slashing through the haze with a flash of blood magic. The alpha turned, startled by Mika's indifference, but blocked Mika's attack just in time. The omega huffed with disappointment, despising the burn of demon poison in his lungs, then leapt forward in a full-frontal attack, hoping with all his might that it would throw the alpha off his calculations.

It only partially worked. Mika's swordwork was impeccable, but the angle that his opponent tried to dodge was the opposite of what he was expecting. They collided, bodies careening down the street, and Mika ended up with a mouthful of the alpha's uniform as he crashed into him against the pavement.

Somewhere under the blood and attack pheromones was Yuu's scent, familiar and warming and powerful. Mika shivered slightly, then realized his mistake a split second later when his scent spiked, recognizing the other alpha.

The enemy under him tensed, startled, but by then Mika had gotten up and off him, desperately trying to keep his hormones under control, tongue running over his teeth with a shiver.

 _Yuu, Yuu_.

Yuu had been there. He'd scentmarked this alpha, challenged him, and that scent bond had had the distinctive undertones of _family,_ of _pack_ in it.

Mika was confused beyond words.

"Y-you're an omega." The alpha stared up at him, scent shifting to something full of disbelief. Instinctual protective undertones simmered briefly before he contained them, but Mika smelled them all the same, and bared his fangs in a silent snarl of hatred. The alpha noticed, his face twisting back into its carefree smirk, but it looked slightly strained. "That's a new one."

"What's new about it? So you'll be killed by an omega. Does it matter?" Mika stepped forward and smoothly plucked his sword off the ground, fighting how badly he wanted to cower and hiss in defense. He had no idea how this cocky alpha would react- would he try to grab the back of his neck and scruff him, rendering Mika immobile? Or would he try to win the fight with sheer dominance, rather than continue the challenging two-way fight that took place before he scented the omega in him? "Or do your prideful alpha instincts despise the very concept of falling under the blade of a dynamic you consider your own personal bitch? You alphas are pathetic."

The alpha stood, drawing his sword in response to Mika's barb, but Mika could see the hesitance in his stance. He darted forward, striking at full speed, and growled softly in approval as the blade spun out of the officer's hands.

It was an omega's purr, a sound of satisfaction usually whispered in the bedroom against the heat of an alpha's skin. It had no place on the battlefield, no place happening right before a kill, and Mika took a primal pleasure in watching the way the alpha's face twisted in confused fear before Mika hilt-slammed him to the ground.

He had him right where he wanted him. Mika studied his prey below him, reveling in the defeat of the threat, and swung his sword back for the kill.

The alpha smirked, scent fading to grim acknowledgement of his fate, but his eyes widened again as a shriek of rage echoed through the battlefield.

"What are you doing to Guren, you filthy bloodsucker?!"

Mika glanced behind him and hissed, barely acknowledging the shout of "Yuu, no, he's an omega!" from the man under the point of his sword. His mind clamored with echoes rage and bloodlust, omegan instincts seething at whomever dared to interrupt him defending his chance of reuniting with his family. _Just who the fuck-_

He registered the anger and aggression in the scent of the alpha charging at him, and his whole world stopped.

 _It can't be._

The next thing he felt was a sharp, burning pain as a demon-cursed blade slid through his chest. He opened his mouth to bare his fangs, to hiss at the offender in agony, but the sound and malice wouldn't come. All he could smell was that scent- musky and sweet, sharp and comforting, and so, so wrong laced with hatred and bloodlust.

 _For him. Hatred for him._

"Yuu?" he breathed, but the words came with great difficulty, the blood filling his lungs making his breathing rasp in his throat. His scent rose, tangled with mixed emotions, but the most prevalent ones were happiness, overshadowed by a deep, animalistic fear.

 _Your alpha is angry at you._

The instinct-riddled thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. Mika whined softly, watching as Yuu's eyes, so brightly full of hatred, lit up with shock instead. The alpha froze, conflicting emotions flickering through his face, but all the omega could feel now was fear, instincts smothering his joy with chocking fear of rejection as the alpha, _his alpha_ , registered his scent.

 _What if he rejects me what if he rejects me what if he rejects me-_

"Mika?" Yuu whispered. Something in his eyes softened, but Mika didn't get to see what it was. His eyes slid shut, head tilting to the side as he bared his neck, surrendering himself completely to the alpha in front of him.

Presenting, his omegan nature overruling any ability for conscious thought.

 _Please don't be angry with me._

"What the actual fuck?!" Guren struggled to his feet and advanced on the two, making both of them jump. Yuu stepped back hastily, drawing his sword from Mika's chest, but that only infuriated the older alpha more, his fist swinging between them to clout Yuu soundly on the jaw. Mika staggered back, unconsciously retreating from the two alphas, but Yuu didn't reciprocate. He straightened his posture and turned his shocked gaze on Guren instead, numbly listening to him as his superior yelled at him.

"What the hell, Yuuichirou! Why the fuck didn't you activate the curse? You had him! I don't give a fuck if you stopped because I told you he was an omega, you should know by now how to rule out instinct-driven reactions on the battlefield!"

Yuu finally seemed to snap to attention, his alpha reflexes bristling at being spoken to in such a way.

"That's Mika, Guren! I can't kill my family, you fucking idiot!" He bristled and stalked closer, teeth bared in challenge. "Don't talk about him like that!"

Guren met his snarling with a glare of undisguised fury. "From what I heard, 'Mika' died four years ago. If you can't even look past a vampire's deception, then maybe you don't deserve to be fighting here at all."

Yuu's scent filled with rage, the only warning Guren had before the younger alpha drove his fist into his throat. They descended on each other, snarling like feral animals, the air filling with the aroma of aggression and alpha.

Mika shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to breathe slowly through his mouth. Yuu's pheromones were doing something to him; the sight and scent of him fighting for his family- fighting for _Mika_ \- was too much. Heat simmered within him, the omega within him responding stronger than before, and Mika had no idea how to tame it.

A low keen rose in his throat, the sound of an omega pleading for their alpha, and Mika grabbed at his throat in a desperate attempt to stop it, mind spinning.

His struggle abated when a hand came to rest on the crook of his neck, fingers tracing dangerously close to his scent glands. He twisted up to glare at the offender, but the scent of the perpetrator told him who it was before he could see what they were trying to do.

"Well well well, what do we have here~?" Ferid's dull red eyes surveyed the fighting alphas with sadistic glee, fangs hooking over his lip. The scent of old blood and an alpha on the verge of the kill rose as he rubbed his wrist in circles over Mika's neck, absently scentmarking him to distract Mika from the two warring alphas in front of them. "There you go, Mika dear. Now you smell more like yourself and less like a desperate omega begging to carry your sweetheart's pups."

Mika shook his hand off him with a growl, despising the feeling of the alpha's scent on his skin. His whole body trembled, high on hormones and conflicting emotions, and the sight of him wrecked like that brought a smirk to the progenitor's lips.

"What?" He asked, casually licking the extra oil off his wrists before tugging his gloves back down. "It's not like it's not true. Besides, you should know by now that I only want the best for you, Mikaela, and that doesn't include getting in the way of you or your alpha."

He looked up, eyes lighting up as Guren pinned Yuu to the dirt, snarling at him. "And what a handsome young alpha Yuuichirou grew up to be! He's a glorious match for you, Mika, there's no way I would jeopardize a cute young couple like that by interfering!"

Mika finally found his voice.

"Shut up," he grumbled, trying to wipe essence- of- Ferid from his neck with his cape. It only made his own scent worse, his glands sending out more pheromones at the stimulus, and he stopped before he became overwhelmed again. "Your 'care' for me is centered entirely on how useful or amusing I am. I have an objective, Ferid Bathory. Get in my way again and I will not hesitate do dispatch you as I see fit."

The alpha vampire only laughed, delighted by Mika's anger. "Oh, really? With those two fighting and you incapacitated like this? You aren't fit to fight right now, Mika. You'd be lucky if you don't keel over in heat any second."

Mika's vision went red with rage. He lurched to his feet, not caring when he stumbled, and slashed his sword at Ferid's throat.

Ferid blocked it with a lazy swipe, smirking as the impact of his parry made Mika stumble. "Fighting now, are we? We're on the same side, Mika. I'd stop if I were you."

Mika caught his balance, panting with rage. A pulse of heat resonated through his body, his scent spiking with its passing, and he winced, humiliation mixing with his anger.

 _"_ _If whatever this is is as close as you can come to heat right now, then it's because he triggered it."_

 _Goddamit._

 _Ferid noticed the tremble in Mika's legs and stepped forward, arms held out in a pacifying gesture. "There, there. You're in no condition to fight right now. Perhaps you should let me capture Yuu for you-"_

 _Shick_

 _Ferid's right arm went flying. Mika's sword pulsed with power, feeding on the progenitor's blood and the feral rage flowing through its omegan owner as he snarled at Ferid, fangs bared to the gums._

 _"_ _Lay even one of your filthy hands on Yuu and I swear I will kill you."_

 _The alpha paused, looking down at the hand locked around his throat, a smile frozen on his face. He didn't move a muscle, but Mika tensed, recognizing the cold gleam of an alpha set to kill in Ferid's dull red eyes._

 _Duck._

 _Ferid's clawed hand swiped over Mika's head, narrowly missing him, and the omega darted back, tipping his head back so his open-mouthed snarl was bared directly at Ferid's throat. The silver-haired alpha advanced on him nonetheless, completely ignoring Mika's defensive posture and enraged omega hissing as he scooped his arm off the ground, reattaching it._

 _"_ _Just as I thought." Ferid's entire being shifted, his posture changing from nonchalant and relaxed to commanding and dominant, though his scent barely changed. Mika winced, his instincts screaming at him to run, but stood his ground as the vampire lord approached, determined to not let Ferid overpower him._

 _"_ _You're half out of your mind with hormones, Mika." Ferid lunged forward suddenly, hand outstretched as if to grab Mika's throat. He tensed, swinging his sword up to block Ferid's attack, but the alpha's hand didn't land where he expected it would. Instead, Ferid let his momentum knock Mika off balance, grabbing him by the back of his neck as the omega stumbled._

 _Mika felt all his limbs go numb as Ferid's fingers dug into his pressure point, effectively scruffing him. He tried to growl, infuriated at his own body for betraying him, but he couldn't move. The only thing that managed to escape from his throat was a thin, weak whine as he slumped forward, all the muscles in his body going limp under the alpha's grip._

 _Ferid huffed in satisfaction, tipping Mika back so his weight rested on Ferid's right shoulder. Mika glared angrily at him from the corner of his eye, but his mind was hazy, the calming paralysis of being scruffed taking the bite out of the infuriated stare._

 _"_ _There, there." Ferid's hand stroked through his hair in mock comfort, his scent reeking with smugness. "It's been centuries since I've had to scruff an omega, but you're a special case, aren't you, Mikaela? Don't worry, I'll get your little princess back safe and sound once we get you back somewhere you can settle down-"_

 _"_ _WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO MIKA, ASSHOLE?!"_

 _A blur of black and green and pure alpha rage barreled into Ferid, knocking him backwards. Mika dropped to the ground, rubbing furiously at the back as his throat as he tried to work away the paralysis, but he stopped when he registered his savior's scent._

 _Yuu?_

 _The alpha stood over him, bristling protectively. Mika stared up at him, dumbfounded, barely noticing how his heart beat faster at the sight of Yuu so riled up._

 _"_ _Don't you dare do that to him again! I have no idea how you got him like that, but he doesn't deserve to submit to you!" Yuu slashed his sword in front of him, fury making his entire frame tremble. Mika ducked his head, pressing gently up against Yuu's legs, but made no move to calm him, still too shocked to do anything else but present his loyalty to the alpha above him._

 _Ferid stood calmly and eyed them in amusement. "Interesting. You haven't even scented him yet and yet you're still so riled up over his safety, aren't you? My, my, Yuuichirou, you really should learn to check whichever omega you're defending before you try to challenge an alpha stronger than you."_

 _Mika caught the bait in his phrase and tensed, but Yuu didn't seem to notice. He lowered his sword, confusion replacing the anger in his scent, and looked down._

 _"_ _It can't be," he murmured, but he stepped back nonetheless, dropping to his knees so he was on Mika's level. Mika raised his head and looked at him, startled to see tears rising in Yuu's beautiful green eyes._

 _"_ _Yuu-" he breathed, but was cut off as Yuu abruptly asked "Can I- can I scent you? I...I need to know for sure, Mika."_

 _Mika nodded, lightheaded with adrenaline, and tipped his head back. Almost immediately, Yuu was on top of him, arms wrapped around his shoulders, hair tickling Mika's cheek as he nuzzled into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent._

 _Mika rested his head on Yuu's shoulder and breathed in deep, sighing in contentment as the alpha's scent familiar scent enveloped him. He gently pressed his face into Yuu's neck in return, ignoring the fierce ache in his throat at the thrum of Yuu's pulse against his lips as he shifted closer, eyes closing in bliss._

 _You're really here._

 _"_ _Oh, how cute," Ferid crooned, suddenly right next to them. "This is so heartbreakingly adorable, I might cry."_

 _Yuu's head lurched up, scent thickening with rage as he snarled at the vampire above them. Mika pulled back, involuntarily reacting to the anger in his alpha's aura as he added his own growl to Yuu's enraged alpha snarl._

 _Threat to my family, threat to my mate-_

 _Ferid laughed. Mika startled out of his instinct-riddled haze, the rumble in his chest catching with his surprise as he quickly tried to erase that line of thought._

 _Just what had gotten into me?_

 _"_ _Aww, you two even smell like a bonded pair!" The alpha circled closer, paying no heed to the way Yuu's shoulders tensed dangerously. "Don't you agree, livestock?"_

 _"_ _What-" Yuu started, then whirled around and stared over Mika's shoulder. Mika turned with him, blinking, then felt his hackles raise as he saw the alpha human from before staring at them, completely dumbfounded, this time with four other humans behind him, all weapons out._

 _"_ _Yuu!" One of them- a tiny alpha with purple hair- called. Mika glared at her, trying to warn her off, but she paid no attention to him as she approached them, demon scythe lowering. "Who-"_

 _"_ _He's my family, Shinoa!" Yuu called back, standing. Mika got up with him, half-expecting Yuu to walk over to her, but he didn't move from Mika's side. "He's...he's still here! He's still alive!" Yuu's scent swelled with jubilation as he turned back to face Mika, shaking him excitedly. "You're alive!"_

 _Mika gaped at him, surprised at how quickly his mood had switched back to happiness. The female alpha must have shared the same sentiment, because she stopped coming closer altogether._

 _"_ _Your family is with the vampires?" She studied them closely, nostrils flaring as she took in their scents. Yuu glanced at her, surprised, then looked back at Mika, face falling._

 _"_ _What? No way- aren't you still-"_

 _Mika felt his stomach lurch, stung with nerves and worry. He dropped his head, unable to meet Yuu's gaze as the alpha made a soft, pained noise in his throat._

 _"_ _This is because I left you alone."_

 _Mika jolted, not expecting that answer at all. "No! Don't think like that. This isn't your fault, Yuu!"_

 _"_ _How isn't it my fault?" Yuu yelled, his scent sharpening with worry and regret. "I was the one who left you where they could turn you! I should have done something, I should have stayed behind and carried you, I should have-"_

 _"_ _What? Let me die?" Mika's scent rose with his voice, desperately trying to calm Yuu down, to take the fear out of his posture, to do something. "If you took me with you, I would have bled to death. If you stayed, you would have been captured again, and then you would have been turned or worse. At least this way, I can help you! You need to run away with me, Yuu, you aren't safe here-"_

 _"_ _What the hell, Mika?" Yuu stumbled back, squinting in confusion. "What do mean I'm not safe here? I'm with the army! I made friends, I got a demon, I-"_

 _"_ _You're being used!"_ _Mika screamed, fear rising in his throat. He didn't notice the rush of heat that came with it; he was too focused on how oblivious Yuu was, how crushed he felt when Yuu stepped back, startled by his old friend's outburst._

 _Why won't you listen to me-_

 _"_ _That's enough." Ferid's hand clamped down on his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "Your pheremones are all over the place, Mika. We need to go."_

 _Mika stared up at him, expecting to see a teasing light in Ferid's eyes again, but the alpha was deadly serious. He shifted uncomfortably under Ferid's grasp, turning back to look at Yuu, but he could feel the prickling heat under his skin, the way his scent had sharpened with an edge of desperation that had nothing to do with saving Yuu and everything to do with something else._

 _Fuck._

 _Yuu took a hesitant step forward, nose wrinkling at the change in Mika's scent, but Guren grabbed him before he could take a step closer. "We're retreating, Yuu." He looked up at a point behind Mika and Ferid, posture wary. "Now."_

 _"_ _But-" Yuu protested, reaching out to Mika, like he didn't want to leave him. His scent rose,_ _alpha_ _making its distinct mark in the air, and Mika keened softly in his throat as his scent responded in kind, trying to wrestle his way out of Ferid's grip so he could go to his alpha's side._

 _No, don't go-_

 _"_ _I said_ _now_ _, Yuuichirou!" Guren hit him abruptly on the back of his head, knocking Yuu unconscious. Mika lunged forward, his cry of anger and longing becoming louder, but Ferid pulled him back, clenching tight on Mika's pressure point so he was scruffed again._

 _"_ _Come on, lovey." Ferid turned him around and released him, paying no mind to Mika's renewed hiss of rage. "We'll be back later. The humans are calling in reinforcements as we speak."_

 _Mika turned to look back, gaze skimming over the fast-approaching army units dismissively. He only had eyes for Yuuichirou, and he watched with barely-contained jealousy as Guren gently placed Yuu in the purple-haired alpha's arms. He felt that same grim determination settle over him as Ferid all but dragged him away from the battlefield, calling a greeting to Crowly as they passed him, staring wolfisly down at the arriving soldiers._

 _I'll be back soon, Yuu._

 _I promise._


	3. Chapter 3

The plan, when Mika got back, was to wait until his hormones settled, and then to get right back to saving Yuu from the JIDA's clutches. It would take a few days at most, Krul predicted, glancing from a biological tome of the dynamics to the sullen omega before her. Not too off schedule. They could work with this.

It did not take a few days.

It took a week.

Merely hours after Krul's conference, Mika began nesting. His body was still incapable of supporting a heat cycle- hell, it could barely even lapse him into something resembling a preheat- but his instincts were still there, and they were fired up and ready to go, wakened out of their dormancy by the exposure to a viable alpha's pheromones. Mika's irritability came back in full swing, but it had noticeably less of a bite to it when he spent most of his time either frantically rearranging everything in his room or sweeping Sanguinem for suitable nesting materials.

Which was exactly how Krul had found him standing in the middle of his room with an armful of her clothes, face buried in the fabric as he searched the fabric for her familiar sterile scent.

"Mika, have you seen my…oh." The third progenitor blinked at him, startled to see him clutching a pile of her laundry. Mika felt his ears burn as her gaze moved to his closet, where a half-made heap of sheets, pillows, and various other soft objects was visible from behind the half-open door.

Krul averted her eyes and cleared her throat, fully aware that she was intruding. "Not that I'm not flattered, Mika, but I was kind of hoping to wear that dress for the council meeting tonight."

Mika bit his lip and glanced down, embarrassed beyond belief. In lieu of nesting with items with their mate's scent, omegas usually picked items from people they considered their family. He guessed something like this was bound to happen- Krul was the only person who showed him any form of kindness around here- but it was still embarrassing to display it like…this.

Krul's familiar flapped over to him and perched on the strands of his hair, hanging down in front of his face to blink at him curiously. Somehow that only made it worse.

"Sorry," he muttered, but he made no move to hand her items back to her. Krul's gaze swept over him, noting the rigid reluctance in his stance, and sighed.

"No, it's fine." She enunciated her words with a regal wave, though the effect was somewhat lessened by the small, affectionate smile creasing her lips. "If it helps you stabilize faster, I'll be glad to lend them to you. I can wear one of my older dresses tonight."

Her pet (honestly, Mika had no idea what that thing was other than the fact that it was vaguely bat-shaped) mistook her gesture for a summons and released his fringe to flap to her shoulder. She stroked it fondly, then slid her finger under its nose, tickling along the edge of one tiny fang. It took the bait eagerly and bit down hard, suckling at the wound as blood slowly trickled down from the two puncture marks.

Mika swallowed heavily and slowed to a stop, staring hungrily at the line of red under the familiar's muzzle. Krul feeding her familiar wasn't anything new, but he hadn't realized how badly he was craving blood until he watched it feed. The now-familiar ache in his throat came back full force, his entire body trembling with the desire to pounce, to pin, to drink, his mouth opening slightly to give his aching fangs some relief.

The hormonal haze had blocked some of his thirst from his mind in favor of trying to find a suitable nesting spot, but it had also increased it in the process. His body screamed with the need to throw him into his heat cycle, thrumming with years of suppressed hormones-but he was physically still too weak and unstable to support anything as intense and extensive as a first real heat, his vampiric healing skills helpful only when his blood was spilled. He needed nutrients and calories, sustenance, and _that_ , coupled with the hunger of preheat and the thirst of four years of near- starvation, made his bloodlust almost completely impossible for him to control.

His mind blanked, thoughts going completely static as his ears became acutely attuned to Krul's heartbeat, making his own heart race in anticipation of the hunt.

He hadn't even been aware of his own predatory growling until Krul looked up, brow quirking in a silent question. He crept closer slowly, then lunged forward, dropping everything to pounce, and, in a single fluid motion from Krul, was caught and held tight against the crook of the vampire queen's neck, pressing his bared fangs against her skin.

"Drink," she murmured, fingers carding through his hair. "You delayed your feeding too long again, Mika."

Mika didn't give her offer a second thought. He bit eagerly into the vein of her neck, arms gripping tighter around her as she slumped, his venom taking effect, and drank, every swallow soothing the dry patch in his throat a little more.

When he'd had enough to cut the edge from his appetite, he tried to recoil, disturbed and disgusted by his lack of control, but Krul caught him and held him tighter against her, making soothing noises in the back of her throat. It sounded almost like she was trying to mimic an alpha's croon, despite her vocal cords being far too underdeveloped, but Mika didn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't working.

Her pet fluttered directly into Mika's line of sight, blinking its one large eye at him as if to ask "Hey, what's your problem, buddy?"

He glared at it. Somehow, that was more calming than Krul's attempt at soothing.

He relaxed into her, then pulled back a little, though guilt and horror still churned in his stomach. Krul let him go this time, the bite marks in her neck disappearing in a heartbeat.

"Why the neck?" He asked softly, glancing down at the traces of blood on Krul's skin with a tinge of guilt. "You grabbed me before I could bite you. You could have just given me your arm."

Krul hummed thoughtfully, though it sounded a little lightheaded. Mika cringed and bit his lip, not caring when his fangs pierced the skin. He thought he could handle himself better than this-he hadn't done something like this since he was a newborn vampire, and even then, he still retained some semblance of control. But this? Growling and pouncing on Krul like she was prey, and he, a mindless predator? This was shameful.

And terrifying.

"Mika." Fingers tipped with pink-painted claws snapped under his nose. He jumped slightly, startled, then averted his eyes in embarrassment when Krul raised an eyebrow at him. "Mika, calm down. You're starving yourself, and you've just had a physically stressful couple of days, in more ways than one. It stands within reason that you'd lose control and pounce like that- that's just instinct. Everyone's been there once."

Mika's expression soured further. He could not be more done with anything that had to do with instincts at this point-not when he was already itching to shove Krul out the door so he could finish his nest, the vampire half of him quieted for now.

"Anyways", the queen continued, taking on a lecturing tone. "I let you drink from my neck because there's more blood available, and I knew that if I let you drink from my arm, the bloodflow wouldn't be able to satisfy you quickly enough. You'd probably end up savaging my arm in an attempt to get what you needed right away." Krul leaned forward and tapped him on the nose playfully. "That's something I would rather like to avoid, thank you very much."

Mika blushed, embarrassed, and scowled, still humiliated from his lack of control. Krul's words helped soothe some of his irritation with himself, but they didn't erase the fact that he'd spent four years fighting his urge to drink-his experience with the thirst should have stopped him. With his omegan instincts, he hadn't had a chance to learn to control them, but for his vamperic ones…

Mika suddenly became aware of the rumpled state of Krul's dress and how _wrong_ it looked, and his scowl shifted from one of humiliation to one of contemplation. It wasn't _supposed_ to look like that, it wasn't _supposed_ to lie that way, it needed to be _fixed_ …

"…ika? Mika? Are you even listening to me?" Krul leaned back, irritation evident in her voice and her scent, but Mika payed it no mind. Instead, he pulled her closer, ignoring the growl of annoyance of being ignored from his progenitor, and began to mess with her clothes-straightening them here, twisting them there, until they'd been arranged to his heart's content.

Krul glared at him. Mika blinked at her, confused, then let out a whine of irritation and embarrassment and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." He gestured to her clothes, wincing when Krul's eyes narrowed. "They weren't...correct."

Krul raised an eyebrow, then waved her hand, redirecting Mika's eyes back to her. She met his nervous glance with a steady stare, then, without looking away, twisted her collar until it hung at an angle.

The effect was instantaneous. Mika's anxious irritation surged back to the foreground, and he lunged at her again, a short, sharp snarl of annoyance rumbling in his throat as he aggressively wrangled her bow back into its proper place. Krul sighed, rolling her eyes at the scolding tone in his voice, then shoved him away once his ministrations faded into anxious fiddling.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone now." Mika winced, already regretting his hormonal outburst, but Krul didn't bother with aggravating him further- the turmoil of stress and anxiety in his scent was making her head spin. She had half a mind to call Ferid on him, if only for the pure entertainment of watching the ancient alpha be taken down by a hormonal fledgling who couldn't stand the sight of rumpled clothes.

"But before I go, I want you to read this." She held out a finger, then plucked a book off the ground and held it out to him. Mika stared- just where had he gotten that from?- but took it all the same, blanching when he read the cover.

A Guide to the Dynamics, Volume One: The Biology of the Omega

Oh no.

"I know you're usually pretty good at staying on top of things, Mika, but in consideration of everything that's happening, I feel like it will probably be beneficial to all of us if you were aware of what was going on with your body." Krul smirked, enjoying the look of blank horror on the omega's face as he stared at the summary on the back cover. "I was going to bring you the volume on alphas as well, but I figured looking at certain parts of their anatomy when you're already worked up like this wouldn't help you settle down at all."

Mika choked. Krul grinned, fully enjoying the embarrassed flush on his face, then moved to take her leave. "Come to me when you've stabilized."

The heavy oak door slammed behind her, lock automatically clicking into place. Mika took a shaky breath and held his face in his free hand, mortified at her jibe. Sure, he was unusually worked up, but he was fairly certain it hadn't come to mating lust- at least not yet.

He gave the book he was holding a wary glance, then set it on his dresser. He would check the section on preheat later- right now his urge to nest was too strong.

He picked Krul's clothing off the floor where he'd dropped them and walked over to his closet, kicking the door half-shut behind him. The various bits of bedding and clothing that made up his nest was still a messy heap of fabric- he hadn't nested since his presentation heat, and even then, he'd only had enough time to pull everything around and over him before the pain of being so completely, utterly alone had rendered him immobile. Instinct dictated his movements, told him what looked right and what didn't, but he had little to no experience knowing what he was actually _doing_. He certainly hadn't seen another omega's nest before, or had a tutor of his own dynamic tell him what to do. For all he knew, he was going about this completely wrong.

At least he hadn't scent-marked everything in proximity, like he'd longed to do when he first got back. That would have been embarrassing.

Mika clicked his tongue, irritation and the fire of pre-heat burning through his blood, and kicked a pillow that was out of place, blinking in annoyance when it exploded from the blow. Soft swan feathers floated around, their downy edges clinging to everything they touched. Mika glared, irritated by the mess, but ignored them as he bent down and began to rearrange things, tucking and tugging on various items until they looked at least halfway decent. The feathers were a surprisingly nice addition, once he touched them; they were soft and pleasant, and he found he had to resist the urge to rub his cheek against a pile of them when they pleased his texture-sensitive skin.

He rummaged under the pile of comforters near the back of his closet and pulled out the old teddy bear, carefully setting it in a dip in the blankets. A stab of nostalgia shot through him as he looked at it, remembering the comfort it gave him and Yuu as they slept through the cold underground nights of the human district.

He closed the door, yearning for complete darkness, but his eyes adjusted almost immediately, vampire senses awakening at the artificial night. Mika shut his eyes, a twist of self-loathing shooting through him. He curled up in his nest and laid his head on the teddy bear, where the smallest traces of his family's scents lingered.

 _I'm sorry._

Mika burrowed down under the soft sheets, a quiet whimper escaping his throat. Usually when the memories hit and stayed, he would try to distract himself with idle tasks to block out the agony, but the thought of going out to the rest of the castle- where every little thing made his mind shriek to fix it, and where curious alphas with stale, bitter scents lurked in the shadows- made him want to scream. There was no escape for him out there, not with the way he was right now. And he didn't want to delay his recovery time- Yuu was still out there, and he needed to be saved as soon as possible.

A completely different memory flashed through his mind, the image of Yuu standing on the battlefield with tears in his eyes replacing the smiles of the other dead Hyakuya children haunting him. Mika's whine shifted, becoming more of a soft, longing croon than a pained cry. God, what he wouldn't do to have Yuu beside him right now, laughing at his jokes, pushing Mika's hands away with an exaggerated grumble when he'd try to play with his hair, like he'd done so many times before when he'd wanted to be close without admitting it.

A niggle of discomfort made itself known at the back of his mind, whispering that he probably wanted Yuu for other reasons, but he ignored it. He knew that Yuu's scent would only exaggerate his heat right now- it had been evident on the battlefield that he had not yet learned to shield his pheromones from displaying his emotions- but he was determined to keep any thought of his own predicament out of this as he imagined sitting next to his best friend- his _family_ \- once more, listening to the sound of his voice, feeling the warmth of his skin against his own, thriving and invigorating, so unlike the cool, dead wraiths of the vampires around him.

Mika's soft coo of longing faded into a low, happy purr. Yuu was _alive_ , and he'd cried when he had seen Mika, just like how he had cried when he had left him on that dismal night four years before. He still wanted him- still needed him. It was a small detail, but Mika clung to it with the intensity of a drowning man.

He could already feel the harsh anxiety buzzing at him begin to fade; if he rested, there was a chance that the hours without external stimulus would settle his instincts faster. Already he could feel his muscles relaxing, the rumble of his own purring easing the tension in his body. When he woke, he would set to work- first on his research, and then on the battle plans. Until the fire resided from his veins and his mind cleared of the smoke, he was useless.

Mika closed his eyes and shifted into torpor, letting the darkness of a vampire's sleep extinguish his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

_He dreamed of their family._

 _Children younger than they were, ran around the wooden walls of their house, playing games and shrieking with laughter. Mika closed the door behind him and smiled wearily at the sight, glad at least that they were happy, even as his vision hazed and his limbs trembled with exhaustion._

 _There were no teeth marks on his collarbone this time. Ferid, upon seeing him, had swept his gaze over Mika's body with a knowing smirk and claimed that he would be drinking from Mika's arm today, apparently at a whim. Mika wasn't exactly sure why he chose to avoid his neck when he showed no qualms to it before, but he hadn't exactly complained. Ferid had been surprisingly gentle when he sank his fangs into Mika's forearm, perhaps because he could sense how delicate he was when he held his wrist to steady it, which was more than what Mika was used to. He'd just been glad that he hadn't been subjected to the searing pain of the vampire's fangs clamping down on his collarbone, not when his neck had been feeling weirdly itchy and sore for the past few days._

 _That didn't mean that Ferid took any less than usual. Mika leaned slightly against the wall, a tired ache filling his bones, and answered the children's questions with a rigor and confidence that he did not feel when they came to interrogate him before they went to sleep._

 _It was only once the last kid settled into their bed and drew the curtain that Yuu approached from the corner where he'd been watching. Mika smiled at him, amused at the thunderous look on his face, which only pissed Yuu off further as he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly._

 _"Where in the hell have you been?"Yuu's voice was loud, irritatingly so, and Mika held his finger up to his lips, shushing him. Yuu grabbed his wrist and yanked it sharply to the side, glaring at him, but dropped his voice anyways._

 _"You're late, you missed dinner, and you smell weird." Yuu stepped closer, staring unblinkingly into Mika's eyes. Mika stared back, fully prepared to tease him, but something about Yuu's stance made him drop his gaze. "Like those creepy vampires."_

 _Mika laughed, a joke ready to throw Yuu off his scent (literally), but Yuu's eyes widened with anger. "Wait a second- don't tell me you've been going to some vampire lord for favors! Is that why you haven't been letting me sleep next to you?!" He shook him harder, teeth bared in a hint of a growl. "_ Mika! _"_

 _Mika's heart sank, but he played off it anyways, shaking Yuu's hands off him with a smirk. "So? He gives me favors for my services, like good food. It's worth it." He stuck his tongue out at the fuming boy in front of him and winked cheerfully. "Why are you so upset about it? Aww, are you worried~?"_

 _Yuu didn't respond the way Mika expected him to. Instead of reacting to his taunt with a huff of embarrassment and a turned back, Yuu growled- for real this time- and grabbed Mika's wrists, pulling him closer roughly. Mika blinked at him, startled, but Yuu ignored him, holding his wrists up for Mika to see._

 _"He grabbed you here, didn't he?" Something dark and feral was stirring inside of Yuu's eyes, but instead of feeling scared, like he should have, Mika felt a spark of warmth and safety. "I can smell him on you. It's disgusting."_

 _Yuu slid his own wrists over Mika's and rubbed them furiously together, brow furrowed in determination, like he was trying to purge Ferid's touch. Mika moved to pull back, but found that he couldn't- something about him was relaxing under Yuu's touch, encouraging him to drop his head on Yuu's shoulder as the black-haired boy muttered furiously about death and uprisings, his slightly spicy scent tinted with anger as he scentmarked Mika with a vengeance and possessiveness the blonde hadn't yet seen before._

 _Mika shifted closer to Yuu's neck and hummed reassuringly, trusting his gut reaction. Yuu was nice to lean against anyways, and Mika was tired of standing, his exhausted body weary and ready to collapse. The position felt_ right _, his instincts reveling in the reinstatement of being at one with his pack, the scents of outsiders fading under his friend's ministrations._

 _Yuu's developing scent was stronger here. Mika closed his eyes, relishing in it- he didn't quite know what it meant yet past the most basic of emotional warnings, but it was very distinctly_ Yuuichirou _, familiar and comforting no matter what the circumstance. He nudged his cold nose against Yuu's skin, delighting in the jolt and the annoyed grumble he got out of it._

 _Yuu dropped his wrists and rested his chin on Mika's shoulder, a move that greatly surprised Mika. He tried to turn to look at Yuu, but his friend shifted as he turned, keeping him out of his sight before raising on his toes and pressing the side of his neck against Mika's, hopping slightly to do so._

 _Mika got a facefull of coarse black hair. He staggered, grabbing at Yuu's back to steady himself, but the questions he was about to ask died on his tongue as Yuu rubbed his neck against Mika's, his scent strengthening as he did so until all Mika smelled of was Yuu._

 _Mika stayed stock-still, weirdly reassured by the action. When Yuu moved to switch sides, Mika moved fluidly with him, pressing his neck against Yuu's to return the action before Yuu could start, tilting his head so that he could brush along the spots where Yuu smelled the strongest._

 _They pulled apart, blinking at each other owlishly, confused by their own instincts. Mika's own scent had risen now, the normal clean aura of a child tinted with something sweet, a scent that mingled with the slight tang of Yuu's when he sniffed curiously at the part of Yuu's neck he had rubbed against. The interaction was weird, but Mika felt oddly grateful for it; whatever unhappiness he had been feeling beforehand had been washed away, like the negativity of the day had been purged with Ferid's scent._

 _"_ _That was weird," Mika quipped, not wanting the awkward silence to last any longer. Yuu's slowly-reddening face hit full blush as Mika stared at him, and he grumbled, turning around to ascend to their shared top bunk._

 _Mika followed him regardless. "I can understand the wrist thing, Yuu, but why the neck?"_

 _Yuu turned around and swiped at him, frowning when Mika squeaked in surprise and dodged it. "Shut up! I-I just didn't want to sleep next to anything that smelled like one of those stupid bloodsuckers, alright?"_

 _Mika reached the top of the ladder and scooted closer to where Yuu was getting ready for bed, ignoring the way Yuu resolutely turned his back on him. "Oh? But the vampire didn't bite me there, Yuu. You would've known, you would have seen the bite. So why did you go for my neck then, hmm? Are you becoming like those vampires too~?"_

 _"_ _Oi, shut up already!" A pillow whistled through the air and smacked against Mika's face, too fast for him to dodge this time. He fell over, laughing, then grinned when he saw the faint flush on Yuu's face before the other boy turned away again. "I don't know, okay? Th-the wrists weren't enough for some reason, you're harder to block than the other kids. You're starting to smell weird, you know."_

 _Mika laughed. "You do too, you know right?" He wrinkled his nose in feigned disgust, though his bright blue eyes were still too full of mirth to make it a proper insult. "I mean, I smell like you now, and it's weird."_

 _Yuu grumbled, muttering something like 'You should have pushed me off, then' as he scrunched the pillow over his ears. Mika hummed happily, a bloom of affection warming his chest, then plopped down next to him, resting his chin on Yuu's shoulder like they did before he started visiting Ferid's mansion._

 _"_ _It's okay," he whispered, prying the pillow away so Yuu could hear him, then dropping his arm over Yuu's waist. "I don't really mind it at all."_

Mika woke up crying.

He swiped at his eyes, then stared at the moisture on the back of his hands with a puzzled look on his face. What confused him wasn't that he wasn't sad- nostalgic, yes, but not miserably so- but the tears themselves. He hadn't cried since his presentation heat, when the fading scents and all-too-fresh memories of his lost family had reminded him of just how lonely he really was.

 _I won't be lonely for much longer._

He rolled onto his back and stretched, sinking deeper into the side of his nest, then sat up, yawning. The uncomfortable, buzzing warmth of preheat had faded, but hadn't disappeared, a constant hum of tension in the back of his mind as he carefully fixed his sleep-rumpled clothes.

He was restless, but not enough to bother with dispelling his energy yet. Urges to do something flitted at the corners of his mind, too vague to make out, but too insistent for him to go back to sleep, and, with a groan, he got up, unlocked the closet door, and padded out into the rest of his room.

There wasn't much to _do_ out here. The nesting craze that had wracked him before he rested had restored his previously (somewhat) untidy room to spotless perfection, which meant he had no cleaning that he had to finish. The old books lining his shelves were a possible target for his boredom, but they were all written in old Latin, and he wasn't in the mood for a headache today.

He glanced at his sword, lying next to a polishing rag on his desk, but decided against sparring. He would do that later, when he was a little more awake- for now, he would focus on being productive in a different fashion.

Mika glanced at the book on Omegan physiology on his dresser and wrinkled his nose in distaste. The copy was relatively recent, but not new enough to dispel some old stereotypes and stigmas that used to apply to his dynamic. Mika had been able to tell just from glossing over the summary on the back that it was also most likely written by an alpha, judging from the way it had opened with _"_ _An introspective look into the lowest and yet most alluring dynamic of our society; the fertile, delicate being known as the omega."_

 _Fertile and delicate, my ass,_ Mika thought bitterly _. I'd like to see someone like_ you _take me on and live._

And yet, the book was textbook-heavy and official-looking enough that it still kindled a small amount of interest within him. While he most likely would have to deal with some level of the bullshit views alphas had about omegas being fragile and sex-driven, there still was a high chance that it could explain the weird things going on in his body with a decent amount of detail- far more so than the pamphlets that Krul had given him after his first heat, anyways.

Mika grabbed it and flicked on the light in his closet, settling down in his nest to read. The introduction wasn't as bad as he feared- it looked like the author had been trying to bait alphas into reading this to better understand their omegas- but he still frowned uncomfortably at the way omegas were dismissed as the overall weakest of the dynamics, even as the writer mentioned that they were surprisingly physically strong.

 _Weak how?_ Mika thought, lightly ghosting a hand over his abdomen. _Because I could possibly have pups if I so wished? Does that make me weak?_

He flipped the page to the preheat section, grumbling under his breath. He'd remembered listening to news reports of scientists making more discoveries on the resilience of omegas before the virus, but he hadn't paid much attention back then, and this book had been published before that. He didn't need to get so worked up about it- his dynamic had never really affected him before, anyways.

Until now.

He skimmed the table of contents at the beginning of the chapter, stopping at nesting and mating attraction. The graphic on the subsection displayed a female omega, but he ignored it, focusing instead on skimming over the text.

 _"_ _The nesting stage is a preliminary step for an omega in preheat. Nesting not only displays the omega's capability to the courting alpha, but also aids the future pregnant omega if the mating is successful, as the instinctual reaction of the new parent is to go into a relatively static state, so as to ensure that the pup(s) do not sustain damage in the first vital weeks of conception. Nesting before heat strikes ensures both that the majority of the hard work is completed before conception as well as providing an opportunity for the alpha to scentmark the area, which provides comfort for their broody mate."_

Mika shifted awkwardly, glancing warily around him at the pile of soft things he was laying on. That…made sense, but the implications behind his instincts were somewhat uncomfortable. He liked kids, but he fairly certain he never wanted to give birth to them. There were too many orphans in the world for him to feel comfortable with adding more to the statistic.

Not to mention, the whole reason why he was curled up and humming with hormones was because he'd scented his best friend for the first time in four years, not just because his body wanted to mate. If that had been true, he would have been having some form of these pseudo-heats regularly like any other omega instead of four year of pure nothingness, starvation be damned. And even then, Yuu's scent shouldn't be having that strong of an effect on him. It wasn't like he was in rut in the couple of times after the tragedy that Mika had scented him, after all.

…Perhaps reading the chapter on mating bonds later would be a good idea.

 _After the nest is completed, omegas trying to seduce a particular alpha soon enter a stage of restless aggression, a behavior almost similar to that of an omega torn from their mate, but without the dire panic or stress involved. Omegas in this stage are prone to be irritable and easily angered, and are highly responsive to posturing or other courting behaviors. While the specifics of this stage are yet unknown, it is speculated that their aggressive outbursts are testing their prospective mate for patience, a quality necessary to ensure a secure bond and for the rearing of future offspring. In addition to this, they also show their own side of their courtship: though highly frowned upon and often discouraged by much of society, some omegas engage in fights and feats of athletic ability, perhaps to prove their ability to protect and care for their alpha as much as they protect and care for them. Before civilization, it is thought that this stage took place during the mating runs, in which an omega would tease an alpha into chasing them through difficult terrain until they were 'caught' (the success of the hunt often being entirely up to the omega due to their natural running ability, of which many alphas cannot hope to compete with) and mated._

 __Ah.

 _After this, if the selected alpha is still willing to go through with the courtship, the omega will invite them into their nest, oftentimes with the alpha bringing some items of their own to add to the pile, reminiscent of early courtship. The pair will then continue to court (on a flirty, less dangerous scale) until the omega's heat truly hits, and the mating commences. Up until then, the effect of an alpha's scent (especially that of the favored individual) would be highly stimulating to the omega, until the first knotting, in which the effect of the alpha's pheromones switches and becomes calming to the omega in response to the intensity of the omega's heat pheromones. It's now thought that it is this- the soothing agent within the alpha's scent- coupled with the emotional support of a mate that makes heats bearable, rather than just the sex behind it._

'Especially that of the favored individual'.  
 _…_  
Fuck.  
Mika bit his lip and flipped to the section on mating bonds, but all of its information was focused on already-mated pairs. He closed the book and glared at it, infuriated at the lack of information, then sighed and rubbed at his temples. His body temperature had dropped slightly, but now he was far more irritable than he had been before, though he couldn't tell if the catalyst was the book or his hormones.

He set the book down and got up, taking his sword off his desk and sheathing it before he buckled it to his belt. He wasn't quite ready to see Krul yet, but some sparring to relieve the tension in his mind might be in order.

.

.

.

The sparring guard fell with a shriek, burning into ashes. The clatter of a sword hitting the ground sounded loudly through the courtyard, the weapon, devoid of the owner's blood, turning back into ashen gray.

Mika barely flinched, his sword, now blackened with soot, tilting down to the ground. The yard was full of shocked faces, but he met none of them, turning on his heel instead to march back into the depths of the castle.

Footsteps tapped in his wake, but he did not turn to meet them. He registered Ferid's scent, sickly sweet, stale, and musty, like dried blood on books, and allowed himself to make a face before the noble came within sight.

"My, my, my, you lost your temper back there, Mika." Those pink bows were utterly repulsive. Mika longed to burn them. "That's the third you've killed in one session. I'm beginning to feel like you hate us."

Mika snorted in contempt. Two of the three vampires had been commons, and the one he'd just slaughtered had been a noble with little to no real significance, a fact that he knew Ferid was perfectly aware of. His behavior would be frowned upon, but he wouldn't face punishment for it. The killings had been worth it anyways; the soothing feeling of bone crunching under his blade had cooled him, his mind now fully in control over his body once more. He had successfully proven himself, and now he was ready for battle- ready to flee.

He only needed the word of his queen, and then he would leave this place and find Yuu again. He had heard from the other vampires that the JIDA had reformed and was ready to strike. If he timed his attack carefully, he would be able to slip in between battles, take Yuu, and run.

"Aww, don't ignore me!" Ferid trotted in front of Mika's path, grinning at him. The sour wash of his scent made Mika's nose wrinkle as he glared at him, but the noble paid him no mind. "You know, this attitude doesn't really suit your cute little face."

"...Get out of my way." Mika stepped around him and continued on towards the throne room. Ferid let him, but followed him regardless of the bristling hostility radiating off of the omega.

"I'm only trying to look out for you, Mika. You know alphas don't like surly omegas, right?" Ferid grinned slyly at him, eyebrows waggling. Mika's response was to wipe his sooty blade on the alpha's chest.

"Even more rude." Ferid sighed, plucking at his ruined uniform. His scent changed imperceptivity, a faint hint of irritation making itself present, but his demeanor didn't, and Mika paid no mind to it. If the bastard tried to scruff him, he would have another thing coming.

But Ferid made no move to attack him like he had on the battlefield. Instead of subduing him, Ferid only tugged at his cape, pulling him close. Mika flinched in disgust, every molecule in his body vibrating with the urge to kill, but he stopped once the words Ferid were speaking registered in his mind.

"Their next attack will be in Nagoya." Ferid whispered the information like it was something precious, a shit-eating grin exposing his fangs as he did so. "Yuu's squad will be coupled with one of older rank. If you want to take him safely, then your only opportunity will be to get him away from the battles when they are in transit and the squads haven't yet met. The queen will tell you to take him later, but if you want to minimize casualties, I implore you to listen to my advice."

Mika shook him off roughly, fixing the older vampire in an icy stare. "I will never trust you. If you expect me to go against Krul's orders, then I implore you to think otherwise."

"Oh?" Ferid leaned closer, smile changing into something more predatory. "My dear Mikaela, Krul has far more ulterior motives than you might think. I never expected nor wanted your trust."

Mika didn't move, not wishing to fall to the alpha's bait, even as Ferid's blood-red eyes leveled him in a taunting, domineering stare. He would not bow to _him-_ not again. "Then how do you believe that you would be able to convince me? I know Krul wants more from me than what I am aware of. That will not stop me from disobeying her orders."

Ferid hummed low in his throat, amused. "I don't ask for much of you right now, Mika. All I want you to do is this: ask Krul why she wants you to retrieve Yuu in the first place, when its danger enough letting her little seraph out of her sight. And when she gives her orders and you follow them to the battlefield, make sure to keep my instructions in mind once everything around you goes to hell."

Mika drew his sword and leveled the blade at the progenitor's chest, a faint red glow seeping up the cold silver as he silently willed its power to activate. "I should kill you for treason."

"I implore you don't." Ferid pushed the blade away with the tip of his finger, ignoring the way Mika's push back made the edge bite into his hand. "That'll put our queen in even more risk, you know."

Ferid backed up as Mika growled, sensing the contempt in the omega's scent, and grinned. "Keep what I said in mind, Mika! And good luck talking to the queen."

The alpha turned and disappeared down a side tunnel, leaving a confused, fuming Mikaela in his wake.

Mika slammed his sword back into his sheath and ran for the throne room, hot fury blazing in his veins. Every instinct in his body screamed out to chase Ferid down and eliminate the threat he posed, but his mind was in control of his body now, and Mika refused to fall to his instincts once again.

So much for self- control.


	5. Chapter 5

_Wham._

The heavy slam of the sturdy wooden doors guarding the throne room was the only indication Krul had before a streak of white topped with fluffy blonde hair rocketed towards her, reeking of anger, uncertainty, and dead vampire. The queen leapt to her feet in alarm, obviously fully ready to fight whatever foe threatened her kingdom, but Mika grabbed her hand and dropped to his knee instead.

"Mika! What is the meaning of this—"

"Krul!" He panted, trying to work off the edge of his still-lingering anger. "I apologize for the unseemly interruption. I came straight to you once I noted I was stable, but I ran into some…unseemly characters on the way here."

Mika winced slightly, clicking his fangs nervously as Krul's scent shifted from one of shock to something more suspicious. He could feel her eyes lingering on the sooty patches of his uniform, no doubt recognizing them as the remnants of whichever unfortunate vampire ticked him off, and barely avoided biting his own tongue when a soft tut of disapproval clicked under her tongue.

"For your sake, I hope none of those unseemly characters were important to me." His queen's voice was cold with anger, and Mika dipped his head lower in the appropriate submission stance for chastisement, though he still felt no guilt at his actions. Krul studied him, noted the traces of nervousness in his stance held no indication of remorse, and sighed wearily.

"Well, at least you're acting like your normal self, even if you are trying to avoid punishment for your actions." She sat back on her throne and crossed her ankles, leaning casually on one arm. "Sit normally, Mika, I know you're only doing this to get on my good side."

Mika gathered his legs underneath him and stood in one fluid motion, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension from his stance. Krul beckoned him, a judgmental frown on her face, and, with a sigh of resignation, he padded to her side and presented his neck to her, the loyalty in the gesture marred only by the frown on his face.

His progenitor leaned forward slightly, opening her mouth to taste the air, and hummed in approval. "Any traces of preheat in your scent seem to be gone. I can't say that for certain, of course, since I'm not presented, but coupling your clean scent with how calm you are now, I can make an educated guess that you're over your little hormonal fit."

Her claws raked gently through Mika's hair, scratching lightly over his scalp as if she was congratulating him. Mika fought down the purr rising in his throat at the touch and scowled slightly at her phrasing, the traces of aggression left over from his previous encounters making him a bit more irritable than usual.

 _Ferid._

The alpha's words of 'advice' came back into mind, and Mika bit his lip uncertainty, doubt weighing heavily in his mind. On one hand, he knew Ferid had an uncanny knack for gathering detailed, accurate information, but on the other hand, he knew that he also often had many ulterior motives that usually dictated his actions and exchange of information that made him completely impossible to trust.

 _And he killed my family._

"Krul," he asked abruptly, breaking out of his train of thought before it could turn down darker paths. "I am here to request information about my upcoming mission."

"Of course." The vampire queen stood, sweeping a strand of hair off her shoulder, and tugged at the edge of his cloak, settling him at the foot of her throne before walking off to retrieve the vials of blood she had prepared for his journey. "I've given you more blood because I can tell that your thirst has been stronger as of late."

She returned, satchel in hand, and placed it carefully on the platform of Mika's outstretched palms. "This should last you if you're careful."

Mika murmured a thank-you and buckled it to his belt, tugging cautiously on the straps to make sure they were secure. Already he could feel the fierce ache strengthen in his throat as the vials within clinked gently against one another, the gentle slosh of the fluid within tantalizing. Krul settled back in her throne, watching him sympathetically as he swallowed painfully, trying to ease the tingling in his fangs.

"As for your destination," she continued, scent sharpening slightly to catch the omega's attention. "The JIDA is showing signs of an attack formation readying for battle near or in Nagoya. I want you to take your squadron of city guards and engage in the standard procedure for subduing humans within that city, killing any and all humans foolish enough to stop you. The ones that submit will be suitably restrained and taken in as livestock."

Krul's blood-red eyes burned into Mika's, her entire stance shifting until she was unquestionably dominant. Against his will, Mika tensed, tipping his head back slightly in respect to his superior, though his mind was racing as she spoke.

 _I should tell her what Ferid told me._

 _…_ _Maybe. I'm not sure just how much I can trust Krul, either._

"What about Yuu?" Mika forced himself to meet Krul's gaze, careful to keep the conflict in his mind out of his expression. "I know that you want me to take him away from the army, and I know that you see us as weapons, because of what the humans did to us when they experimented on the seraph genes, but…"

Krul's eyes narrowed. Mika hesitated, wary of the suspicion in her gaze, then straightened his posture and held his position resolutely.

 _Fuck it._

"Krul, before I agree to bring Yuu back to you, I need to know exactly what you have in plan for the two of us, and what you want us to be used for." Mika tucked his chin and bared his fangs, allowing the edge of a growl into his voice as he talked. "I _refuse_ to follow through with this plan unless you come clean with your intentions!"

It happened in a split second. One moment, Mika was standing, and the next second, he was lying on the ground, Krul's unsheathed claws circling his throat as he gasped for breath, her other hand twisting his arm at a painful angle until he trembled with the force of it.

"Who told you I have other motives?" The queen tilted her head to the side like a questioning dog as she glared down at him, a gesture that was more threatening than it should have been. He glared back, more out of fright than of anger, and her claws dug into his neck, thin lines of blood trickling down from the puncture points. "If you're planning on rebelling against me—" The bones of his wrist creaked ominously as her grip tightened—"I implore you think otherwise."

Mika's futile attempts to struggle stopped as he heard her speak, head tilting to the side to expose his neck. The steadily-rising stench of his own fear was thick on his tongue as he slumped, submitting, knowing that it was the only way to make her listen to him.

 _Don't hurt me. I'm loyal to you._

Krul's death grip slackened, the sharp points of her tiny fangs disappearing as she leaned back in acknowledgement of his posturing. Mika gulped in a deep breath of air, and, without meeting Krul's eyes, gasped out:

"Ferid. Ferid told me."

Any hostility lingering in Krul's scent and posture disappeared entirely, an air of heavy resignment replacing it. She released Mika completely, gently helping him to his feet again, and sighed.

"I should have known."

Mika, busily rubbing the blood from his neck, stiffened as Krul lightly touched his wrist before going to work straightening his clothes. He averted his eyes, chin tipping up, and, with some effort, Krul reached up and turned his face down to her.

"You can stop now. I'm not mad at you." The omega swallowed and nodded, shuffling his boots timidly. Mika wasn't nearly as frightened as he was making himself out to be, but he didn't want to anger Krul again, and his gut instinct was whispering that a scared omega was an omega that was less likely to get hurt.

 _Trying to dominate her didn't work. Maybe if I stay down, she'll disclose the information about Yuu._

Krul slunk back up to her throne and threw herself down upon it, rubbing wearily at her face. "I apologize for what I had to do. There have been...rumors going around about certain things regarding the seraph of the end experiment."

His words sent a jolt through Mika's body.

 _That's the experiment Yuu and I were a part of._

He took an unconscious step forward, tentatively tilting his head to the side as he asked "The seraph of the end...? Can you tell-"

"No," Krul cut him off, giving him a warning glare. He clicked his fangs, irritated at the interruption, but she paid him no heed. "That information is classified, Mika. I might tell you later, but for now it's too dangerous for you to know the details. All you need to know is that the humans are messing with forces that they shouldn't."

She sat up straight. Her scent sharpened, dominance tinged with seriousness washing over her face and through her pheromones as she unsheathed a claw, trailing it over the gold whorls on her throne. "As for Ferid...I suspect he may attempt to overthrow me while you are gone."

Pure panic shot through Mika, and he surged forward, grabbing onto Krul's forearms desperately. "That's-!"

"Horrible?" A wry smile accented Krul's words as she gently pried his hands off of her arms. "Hush, Mika. He's been preparing this for a while now."

Mika knelt in front of her, dumbfounded. Krul leaned forward and hugged his head to her chest, obviously detecting the distress in his scent, and tried her mimicked crooning again. Mika winced, but accepted the hug anyways, still too shocked to try to pry her off.

"That's actually the reason why I want you and Yuu to run away." She scratched lightly at the base of his neck, letting out a pleased purr when he responded with a soft whine of contentment. "No matter the outcome, the political backlash of the fight will be dangerous for the both of you. I want you to be as far away from that mess as possible when it happened."

Mika hummed in contemplation. Worry was still twisting through him, an-ever present edge on the outskirts of his racing thoughts, but his shock at the news had settled, replaced with relief.

As well as something else.

All too soon, Mika became aware of how Krul's pulse fluttered in her neck, how the steady rush of blood in her veins weakened his legs, the ever-present thirst for blood sharpening at the sound of her heartbeat. He pulled away, fear sharpening in his scent, and clenched his teeth, shuddering as the bitter taste of his venom filled his mouth, his body readying itself in anticipation of the hunt.

 _No, I just drank-!_

Krul's crooning increased in volume, her cool fingers rubbing circles over Mika's skin as she tilted his head up to look at her, ignoring the way he hissed in terror, frantically fighting the ache in his jaw that demanded for him to _bite_.

"Shh, shh, Mika, look at me." She tilted her head down to stare into his eyes, gazing at him sympathetically. "I know you're thirsty. I've been meaning to warn you about this, actually."

Mika fought his raging heartbeat and took deep breaths, willing his body to still. Krul's eyes were kind, but there was a tinge of sadness in her expression that filled him with a sense of foreboding. His progenitor stroked his bangs away from his face, then sighed.

"You won't be able to continue on drinking my blood for much longer." Mika flinched, resignation settling heavy in his gut. "The day that you will have to drink human blood will come soon."

She reached out and tapped lightly on the satchel on his side. "Try to drink these only if you have to, and guard them well. While you were working through your preheat, I managed to locate a bottle of unexpired omega suppressants that I mixed into the vials for you. It'll taste bitter, and I have no idea how well it will work on an omega vampire. You're the first omega to be turned by a progenitor as high-ranking as me, you know, which is probably part of the reason why you're still so receptive. The few other omegas I've seen among our ranks have been commons, and I was only able to identify them by certain physical characteristics unique to your dynamic."

Mika scowled at her. Krul smirked back, obviously unapologetic for her hand in his current biological condition.

Mika sighed and shook his head. _At least I'm not one of those thirst-driven shadows of living beings._ "Thank you, my queen."

"You're welcome, pet." Krul leaned back, plucking a sheet of paper out of a pocket in her dress. "Here's the directions to your assignment. It holds the details necessary for you to be able to predict the time shifts of certain squad units within the JIDA, as well as the probability ratings for certain areas of conflict between our two sides. I _implore_ you not to lose it."

Mika nodded, obediently tucking the folded map in with the rest of his blood vials, where it had the lowest chance of being lost or taken. "Krul, if you don't mind me saying this, but you usually like to tell me what I'm going to do instead of handing me written instructions. I can understand the map, but why-?"

"Did I give you your orders via letter?" Krul's eyes darkened. "You're right. I don't like to give you written orders, simply because others can find them and use them against us. But unfortunately, I don't have time to talk out your mission with you today."

She tapped lightly on the arm of her throne, pink claws plinking against the gold plating. Mika idly wondered whether there were dents in it yet. "I will have to go to a progenitor's council in fifteen minutes. If Ferid approaches you and tries to coerce you into going with him—because he will be there despite his rank, that bastard—then I want you to refuse. These councils are not for your eyes, and I do not want the others to know who you are. If Ferid turns on me and manages to expose some of my past actions to the council, then you, as my progeny, are likely to face the same punishment that will be inflicted on me."

Mika winced, but nodded. He knew Krul had a good reason for keeping him out of the noble's ranks, but he wasn't aware that the repercussions would be that severe. "I understand. Thank you for your information."

Krul inclined her head in acknowledgement. "The sun will set soon. Tell Lacus and Rene nothing more than that you have another human-gathering assignment, and leave as soon as the moon rises. Follow the directions on the map, and strike whenever is the most opportunity. You have my permission to kill any vampires that see your diversion as treason." She brushed a talon lightly across his forehead, then pointed to the door. "Go."

Mika nodded and swept into a slight bow, then turned and left.

 _This might be the last time I see her._

The thought hit him hard. He paused, and, right before he was to leave the throne room, turned around and called out to her.

"Oh, and Krul?"

The queen stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "What, Mikaela?"

Mika couldn't stop the mischievous quirk in his lip. "Your croon doesn't work in the slightest."

Krul's inquisitive face twisted into something sour. Mika huffed out a puff of air, amused, and left before she could fire a retort back at him.

 _I wish you luck, Krul._

.

.

.

"Why do we have to do this _now_?" Lacus whined, shifting from foot to foot impatiently. "It's _nighttime_. I wanna _read_."

"We're nocturnal, Lacus," Rene droned. "And you have no interest in books. Shut up."

The purple-haired alpha gave his partner a shit-eating grin. Mika wrinkled his nose at the slight spike in his comrade's scent, but ignored him entirely, knowing that Lacus was just trying to get a reaction out of the two of them.

Mika still didn't understand why he couldn't be assigned two betas instead of alphas. Sure, Rene was levelheaded enough that he could be easily confused as a beta, and both alpha and beta vampires had equally-faded scents, but at least betas didn't have the obsessive need to harass their comrades for a fight that still lingered in many of the turned alphas.

Mika had only been around them for fifteen minutes, and he'd already been nearly bribed into confrontation with Lacus at least twice, and had had to deal with Rene's cleverly-concealed jibes for thrice more than that. He was starting to get a headache.

"How would you know?" Lacus sidled closer to the dark-haired alpha and bumped up against his side lightly, eyebrows waggling. "It was a romance novel, and a good one at that. I can lend it to you if you want, but you're gonna have to fight me for it."

Rene shoved him away, nearly throwing him into Mika. The omega jumped to the side, glaring angrily at him, but Rene acted like he wasn't even there. "I know because you spent the entirety of the past month lounging around my quarters whining about how bored you are. If you did manage to get your claws on a book that you were interested in, much less one that had romance in it, then I don't know you at all, and that's saying something, considering the fact that you're the only person in both my vampire and human years that I have actually bothered associating with."

Lacus rolled over with a delighted growl and swiped at Rene's arm, trying to bait him into a fight. "Buuuusted! Your life would be so dull without me, Rene."

"I would argue otherwise," the alpha muttered, stepping out of the way of Lacus's attacks.

Lacus grinned, ears flicking playfully. Mika scented the playful affection in his scent and snorted in irritation, scaling higher along the ruins of the building they were standing in so he could perch where his surveillance wouldn't be interrupted.

He could see the herding program perfectly from here, the white-clothed shapes of the vampires circling the captured humans like a pack of wolves, the thick fear-scent of the humans below sharp and inescapable even from far above. Mika opened his mouth slightly, tasting the air, and shuddered when his bloodlust spiked at the taste of their terror.

 _I'm despicable._

A human, most likely driven mad with fear and panic, broke free of the main group and shoved past the vampires, running as fast as it could to the apartment blocks on the other side of the main street. It was caught a split second later, the force behind the vampire's pounce snapping its neck, cutting off its shriek of fear and pain in a heartbeat.

Below him, Lacus scoffed, his scent sharpening as his hunger became apparent. "Tch, that was sloppy as hell. Now the blood from that one is going to taste horrible."

Mika shut his eyes tight, tilting his head up to try to escape the smell of the carnage below him. Disgust-for himself, for what he had become- welled up, matching his thirst in its intensity.

 _Focus. Breathe. Remember who you're fighting for._

An image of Yuu's smile flashed across Mika's mind. His lips quirked, flashing back a smile of his own, but the memory was already fading, a mere ghost of his past life.

Mika opened his eyes and pulled out his map, studying the formation of the troops that were set to pass through the city. His finger ghosted over the page, lingering on a set of units circled in red.

 **Narumi's squad, paired with the Shinoa squad. Shows signs of planning an attack near Crowley Eustford's territory. Dual team-up, but somewhat disjointed in fighting styles, appears to be new to both squads. Also seen around: Ichinose Guren and Hiiragi Shinya.**

 _Those are the humans guarding Yuu._

He looked up, sweeping his gaze over the ruins of the city. Apart from the dying skirmish below him and the occasional grinding, thudding footsteps of the four horsemen of John, at a first glance, Nagoya was almost perfectly still.

Mika knew better than to rely on a brief look.

If he focused, he could hear sounds covered by the trill of the night and the thud of the monsters hunting in the shadows. He could hear the shuffle and the clank of an army mobilizing, could see and smell the faint trails of smoke from their cooking fires, could tell that they were doing their best to hide the thin lines of smoke, even though it wasn't working.

Something inside his chest lifted, then settled, all his senses sharpening as he focused on that pinpoint of motion in the distance. He could feel the predator within him awakening, some ancient, foreign part of his brain humming in anticipation even as his heart filled with joy.

Yuu was _right within his grasp_.

 _"_ _Yuu's squad will be coupled with one of older rank. If you want to take him safely, then your only opportunity will be to get him away from the battles when they are in transit and the squads haven't yet met. The queen will tell you to take him later, but if you want to minimize casualties, I implore you to listen to my advice."_

The omega squinted indecisively as Ferid's advice came to mind, considering it. He glanced back down to the sheet in his hands, skimming over Krul's elegant handwriting with practiced ease.

 **Attack after a battle, when the humans are weak and shaken. We will have backup ready that will create a distraction for them and ensure a clear escape path.**

He looked back up to where he knew the human army camps were located. The strengthening moonlight betrayed them, highlighted the dark smudges of their smoke against their stars, and it hurt him to realize just how distant he felt from their world.

Their company, what they did and what they stood for, he despised. But the warmth and safety of others, the press of his family's bodies around their fireplace, listening to stories, laughing—that was what he missed.

There was no comfort in the cool darkness and the apathy of the vampires around him, no solace in the sharpened senses or lack of physical exhaustion. He listened to the whispers of Lacus and Rene below him, their scents mere shadows of who they used to be, and shivered in disgust.

His decision came sooner than he expected, perhaps spurred on by the painful nostalgia aching within his chest.

 _There will be a battle tomorrow. The night after, while most of them are sleeping off their wounds, I will sneak into the human's encampment and take Yuu away from here. Hopefully, those 'friends' of his will be hurt or killed off, so they won't be able to put up any resistance._

He tucked the map away again, slipping it into one of the pockets holding his blood vials. The glass clinked under his touch, and he traced the edge of it absentmindedly, making a mental note to take one before the battle.

 _I can't have a rerun of last time._

"Oi, Mika, come down from there!" Lacus called, swinging out on a jutting pole so he could look up at him. "The units down there need our help detaining the children. Maybe if we're lucky, we can get a quick snack out of it!"

Mika glared down at him, icy hatred taking over what calm he had in his heart. "Quiet. Drinking directly from the humans is prohibited and will not be permitted."

Lacus sighed and rolled his eyes as Mika lept down, landing by him and leaving without giving him so much as a backwards glance. "Spoilsport. This is why I never had an omega."

"No, it's because you never showed an interest in omegas." Rene cuffed him lightly on the back of the head and pulled him along. "You told me yourself that you never mated because you thought romantic partners were a waste of time."

"Aww, at least let me joke, buddy! You know, you make Mika's grumpiness look tame sometimes. I wonder if you both have the same stick up your ass sometimes. Or maybe you're secretly in cahoots with him and it's something else entirely?"

Mika pulled a face and walked faster, deliberately tuning out Rene's reply. Lacus's jokes were obsolete in their sense of humor, and preformed simply for the reaction and attention he got out of them, but that didn't make them any less irritating to deal with.

 _Yuu, the sooner I find you, the better._


	6. Chapter 6

He hadn't expected her to struggle so much.

The woman underneath him- a beta lower on the spectrum, verging on omega, by the smell of her- bit down hard on his fingers, desperately trying to crush the suicide pill against her teeth. He ignored her, paying no heed to the tears streaming down her face, and plucked the pill out, tossing it away.

"Good try. But unfortunately for you, there's some information that I need to obtain before I can let you die."

The beta below him snarled, though her scent reeked more of fear than of anger. "You aren't-!"

Her speech was cut short as Mika slammed a hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her. She glared at him, her thrashing taking on an edge of desperation, and he winced, knowing that her struggling would soon attract the attention of the others before he could get the information he needed.

"Shhh," he whispered, tugging at his collar so that it was no longer hugging his neck tightly enough to block his scent glands. "They'll hear you."

Every omegan instinct in his body rebelled against him as he bowed his head down, purring softly and sweetly into her ear as he arched his neck closer to her nose. His scent rose around him, thick and sweet and rich with calming pheromones, but the primal disgust for what he was doing- comforting a stranger as gently as if she was his pack- made him grit his teeth so hard his fangs ached.

 _This is for your mate_ , his mind screamed at him. _Soothe only your mate with your scent. This is not for her._

The beta's eyes widened in shock, her entire body language relaxing as his pheromones took effect. Mika's purring faltered, a rush of relief surging through him as her struggling stopped, and pulled his collar up so that it was tightly hugging his neck again, instincts singing in joy as his scent diminished around him.

 _I'm going to need to get a scent blocker at some point_ , the omega thought irritably. _If that's how I feel when I'm not around Yuu, then who's to say I'm not going to smell desperate when I'm around him? Suppressants aren't going to cut it._

The beta's mouth worked under his palm, but Mika ignored it, positive it was just another disbelieving comment about the existence of an omega vampire. He quickly glanced over to Lacus and Rene, fearing they caught wind of his scent, but they were too busy musing over the still-twitching bodies of the other humans to pay attention to him.

"We don't have much time," he murmured, turning his attention back to the trembling beta under his hand. "Now that you're no longer hysterical, I have a question for you, beta."

He leaned forward, mouth opening slightly as he scented her. The taste of her fear and despair settled heavily on the back of his tongue, exciting the predator lurking in the vampiric part of his mind, but he couldn't discern the scents of anyone he recognized under the mask of her blood and misery. "Do you know the whereabouts of an alpha called Yuuichirou Hyakuya?"

The beta flinched, and he released her, staring impassively at her as her expression changed from one of dazed fear to anger.

"Do you really expect me to out one of my comrades to a bastard like you?" She hissed, teeth bared in defiance- and all of Mika's disgust and apathy burned away, replaced with white-hot fury.

 _How dare she how dare she how dare she he's not your comrade he's_ mine _how dare you-_

"Shut up! He hissed, pressing her down harder against the stones below them. "You aren't Yuu's comrade! How dare you speak of him in that-"

"Oi, Mika" Lacus drawled, lazily walking over to the two of them. "What the hell are you doing? Is that human dead or what?"

Mika snapped his mouth shut, his expressionless mask dropping back into place. It wasn't perfect- he could tell that his scent had sharpened with anger and possessiveness in the time it took for him to loose his temper- but Lacus didn't look like he'd scented him, the lazy boredom in his eyes indicating that he wasn't at his most observant right now. If Mika was lucky, he might be able to fool the alpha completely and do away with the beta when Lacus wasn't looking.

"Nothing." Mika stood up, returning Lacus's questioning look with a blank stare of his own. "I was checking this woman's vitals to see if she was faking life. No such luck."

Lacus hummed tunelessly in answer to Mika's statement, frowning like a petulant child.

"Humans are so dull sometimes, honestly. Their lives are so short, aren't they? And yet here they are! Dead, and by their own hands, too."

Lacus kicked the corpse next to him, watching in amusement as the body slid down the stone path under his supernatural strength. Behind him, Mika felt the beta flinch.

"The information they carried was worth their lives." Rene walked over, the tattered remains of a vampire's uniform in his hands. "Look at this. These clothes used to belong to Lucal Wesker, a noble that, by all rights, should not have been able to be killed by humans."

Mika felt a chill fall over him. _No, they can't be-_

"They were strong enough to kill a noble?" Lacus turned to look at the other alpha, grimacing in disbelief. "That's impossible. These humans aren't nearly strong enough to take on a progenitor."

"These humans weren't," Rene said, tossing the clothes aside. "But then again, these might not have been all of them. It's nearing late afternoon, and though we've just been collecting the normal residents of the city, the army's been busy. They might've had a larger unit that attacked Lucal and managed to overwhelm him."

"Perhaps, though it's still ridiculous to think about weak little livestock such as them managing to kill a noble." Lacus kicked at Lucal's sunguard, his smirk coming back. "It's almost funny to think of it with how backwards it is. A bunch of mice, killing the cat- who would have thought it would be possible?"

"Possible or not, we need information on the whereabouts of the main units of the demon army." Mika stepped forward before Lacus could continue his musing, trying not to think about the subtle fear-scent the beta was still giving off. She had information, he knew it; he could tell by the way she had looked at him when he said Yuu's name. If the JIDA was focusing on killing nobles now, then he had to get to Yuu, and fast.

"That's true." Rene glanced at him, then nudged the body of a fallen soldier with the tip of his boot. "Let's check up on Lord Crowley before we search for them, though. He'll most likely have information on what's happening."

The two alphas turned and started to walk away. Mika grimaced, knowing that he missed his chance to fool them, then paused when he heard a sudden scramble behind him.

 _What-?_

"Stop right there!" The beta soldier grabbed him and pulled him close to her, resting a knife against his throat. Mika didn't move an inch, knowing from the tremble in her hand that she had no real desire to hurt him. "Make one more move and I'll slit your omega's throat."

Lacus glanced back, surprised. "Hmm? She's not dead? Mika, I know you're not the most observant person out there, but how did you miss the fact that she was alive?"

"He's not our omega." Rene glared tiredly at the beta, then glanced over to Mika. "Mikaela, take grab her and take her with you. We might be able to get information out of her."

"Shut it!" The soldier tugged lightly on Mika's arm, and he walked back with her, careful to keep up the act. The alpha vampires watched, but made no move to help, obviously amused with the turn of events.

Once they were out of hearing range, the knife next to Mika's throat shifted slightly, allowing him room to speak. Mika opened his mouth, ready to inquire the beta on her actions, but she beat him to it before he could have a chance.

"Yuuichirou Hyakuya and his comrades were sent to city hall to help in the retrieval of soldiers who had been captured by the noble living there," the beta whispered. Mika gasped, horror flooding his mind, but any sounds he might've made were silenced as the beta released the powerful calming pheromones typical of her dynamic, relaxing him. "That was a few hours ago. If the mission was a success, they should have set up camp in the buildings somewhere just outside the territory boundaries. If you want to get to him, arrive at nighttime, when the other troops will have difficulty seeing you."

Mika took a deep breath, trying his best to think rationally. "And how can I know that you're not setting me up for a trap?"

The beta smiled, though her eyes were weary and sad. "Because of how you reacted. I've never had an omega act so threateningly towards me, except for when their mate or pups were hurt and they saw me as a danger. I don't know who you are or your history with Yuu, but I'm willing to take the risk that you were pretty close for you to react like that."

Mika stayed silent. The beta glanced at him knowingly, then stepped back slightly, preparing for action. "I only have one request. Before you go, kill me."

She tipped her head towards the bodies of her fellow soldiers, smiling sadly when Mika opened his mouth to refuse her. "I have nothing left to live for."

"Hey, Mika, are you going to handle her or are we going to have to deal with her ourselves?" Lacus tilted his head, swinging his battle-axe up in preparation for an attack. "If you aren't, I'm coming over. I don't care if you get hurt or not."

Mika glared at him. The beta soldier clenched her teeth and hissed, prepared to fight, but Mika beat her to it.

Her bones crumpled like paper under his grip as he grabbed her wrist, the knife clattering to the stones below. He caught one glance at her face- pain mixed with gratitude- before he drew his sword and slashed her through the heart, killing her instantly.

"Aww, why did you have to do that?" Lacus pouted. "We could've had more fun with her."

Mika said nothing. He stared at the body where it lay, blood pooling tantalizingly around the wound, and clenched his sword tightly, tip angling towards the ground.

 _You said you helped me because you figured I was close to Yuu, but you had no real reason to do that, unless you were trying to help him._

 _...Were you really Yuu's comrade?_

Mika looked over to her demonic weapon, still lying where it fell before he attacked her. As he watched, the bow shimmered, then dissolved into black smoke, the demon within retreating to its home as the contract that bound it was dissolved.

 _...No. You were just using him, like everyone else._

"Mika? Aren't you coming?" Lacus tilted his head, but didn't approach him, no doubt repulsed by the smell of cooling blood. Rene was already leaving, but turned back to look at Mika, obviously not caring if the omega followed or not.

"...No, I don't think I will." Mika kicked at the dead beta's boot, meeting the stares of the two alphas with a level gaze of his own. "This soldier mentioned something about the army troops attempting to kill a seventeenth progenitor. No doubt it's a lie, but it's worth investigating nonetheless."

"By yourself? You're almost as arrogant as an alpha, Mika." Lacus smiled slowly, hefting his axe in readiness for a fight. Rene grumbled and turned away, no longer interested in the conversation. "Are you sure you want to go alone? The humans have gotten more dangerous, after all-"

"I'll be fine." Mika scowled at him, a sliver of a fang showing as he half-snarled at the alpha. Lacus trying to amuse himself right now was the last thing he wanted to deal with. "Go on and ask Lord Crowley about the humans. If the soldier I just killed was lying, I'll meet you in his territory before sunset."

Rene grabbed Lacus and turned him around. "Sounds fair. Come on, Lacus, let's go."

Lacus whined, obviously wishing to tease Mika further, but he paid him no mind as he turned and walked in the other direction, his steps increasing to a trot, and then a run as the other vampire's voice faded into the distance.

The beta had said that they would be camping somewhere outside Crowley's territory, but she hadn't given him a set direction, nor had she specified if they were still fighting or not.

The alpha's territory was huge. If Mika wanted to have any chance of finding Yuu, then he would have to circle the boundries of Crowley's encampment in ever-widening circles until he scented him, all while trying not to get caught. And if Yuu was still fighting, then he would most likely have to run straight into a warzone to fight an alpha he knew was no match for an omegan half-vampire like him.

Mika gritted his teeth, fingertips trailing over his sword hilt, and ran faster.

.

.

.

The flickering light of a small campfire barely illuminated the forms of six tired, battle-worn humans from where they resided outside the ruins of an old skyscraper. Strategically, it was a perfect place to rest- the cracked concrete provided cover from one side, and the shadows cast by the debris would make the firelight practically invisible to the poor eyesight sported by the horsemen of John.

Their protection was nothing to the eyes of a vampire.

Mika silently crept closer to the squad's camp, careful to keep out of the moonlight. From here, perched above them in a neighboring building, he could see everything in perfect clarity- the exhaustion and stress on their faces, the bruises and cuts that dappled their body and tore their uniforms, the way their demonic weapons glowed softly with an eerie green light that had nothing to do with the fire. Even the huddled form of a ponytailed man in the far shadows was as clear as if he was standing right next to him, the faint trembling of his shoulders and the scent of fresh blood- nothing like his own- betraying his grieving to the predator above him.

Mika hissed softly, for once not disturbed by his inhuman abilities. This was Yuu's squad, for sure- he recognized the purple alpha poking at the logs of the fire perfectly, even with the grime now muddling her scent. The pink-haired alpha and the blonde beta were huddled together, obscuring his view of whatever they were leaning over.

He didn't see Yuu anywhere.

The omega slunk closer, circling around their camp. They didn't seem to have scented him yet, which was a blessing. He could smell the anger in his scent, even as he fought to keep it down, trying to focus on his stalking, but it was futile- these people were nothing but liars and manipulators. They had no place by Yuu's side.

 _Fight them now_ , the omega within him whispered. _Drive them away. Show that you're the only one who deserves Yuu's attention, show them that you will die for your pack and your mate._

He clenched his teeth, snarling softly. The purple-haired alpha jerked up and looked around, alert, but she didn't notice him, and the fear and challenge in her scent only provoked the vampire in the shadows.

 _I fear no alpha. Trying to drive me away will not stop me,_ _ **runt**_ _._

"Shinoa? What was it?" The beta glanced over at the female alpha, frowning. "Did you hear anything?"

The alpha looked around, eyes drifting over Mika's hiding spot. He pressed closer to the tree hiding him, all senses on high alert, but she didn't seem to notice him, her attention turning back to the beta watching her.

"It's nothing, Mitsu, just the fire." She pulled her pink bow out and shook her hair out, picking leaves and twigs out of the lavender strands with a grimace. "How is he doing?"

The beta frowned and stood, walking over to help the alpha with her grooming. "Still knocked out. He's alive, though, which is a miracle in itself."

The alpha responded, but Mika didn't hear her. The beta leaving her spot had exposed the form of another soldier, curled up and umoving under an army-grade blanket.

 _Yuu._

Mika's heart raced as he stared at him, panic and fury thickening in his scent. Yuu was injured and comatose- these humans had failed to protect him, had let him get injured under their watch. They didn't deserve the mercy of Mika taking him while they were still oblivious to his presence.

 _I'll kill you for this-!_

He snarled, uncaring of the consequences. Both the alpha and the beta whirled, eyes wide, and materialized their weapons.

"Kimizuki! Take Yuu and run, there's a vampire that's managed to sneak up on us-"

Mika's vision went red, his protective fury turning his snarl into a shriek of rage.

 _Oh no you fucking don't._

"Give him back to me!" He roared, leaping out from his hiding spot, sword drawn and aglow with power. He slashed a beam of blood magic out, aiming directly at the fear-stricken girls in front of him, then growled angrily when a protective shield suddenly formed in front of them, blocking the attack.

The grieving beta swung his trident at him, teeth gritted, eyes still shimmering with tears, but Mika blocked him easily, hilt-slamming him into the ruined building. A chilling ripple in the air behind him alerted him to an incoming attack from the blonde beta behind him, and he swung around to meet her axe with a deafening clang, the speed and ferocity behind his swing throwing her into the darkness.

"Wait!" The purple-haired alpha stepped in, blocking his forward advance with a swing from her scythe. Mika deftly blocked her and bared his fangs, hissing in rage, but she gritted her teeth and stood her ground, grip wavering as he slowly pushed her back, her demon no match for his power. "You're the omega from the battlefield, aren't you? You're Mika!"

Her use of his nickname infuriated him, and he snapped at her, shoving her away with a burst of renewed energy. "Shut up! You have no right to speak to me in that way!"

His attack overbalanced her, opening the way, and he jumped through before her scythe could slash down on him as she fell. The pink-haired male on the other side of the fire stood, the low, protective growl of an angry alpha rumbling in his throat, but Mika snarled right back, leaping over the fire to attack.

The alpha's eyes widened, reluctance to attack an omega clear in his stance, then grabbed Mika's sword hand as he swung, drawing one of his twin swords to disable him. "We're not giving him to you. Stand down-"

"Be quiet!" Mika lunged forward, headbutting him before the alpha could speak any more. He crumpled to the ground, dazed, and, with a racing heart, Mika stooped to pick Yuu up, clutching him protectively to his chest as he whirled to hiss at the rest of the squad.

Yuu's familiar scent was almost absurdly comforting as Mika held him. The omega hunched over him, instinctively pressing closer to Yuu's neck as a soft, reassuring coo replaced the snarl in his throat.

 _Shhh, it's okay, I'm here now. I've got you._

A quiet rustle behind him, and suddenly a weight dropped onto Mika's back, small, calloused hands scrabbling at the back of his neck. The omega jumped, twisting frantically to throw off the weight, rage and instinctive fear thick in his scent at the prospect of being scruffed.

"Get off!" he cried, bucking and elbowing at the attacker. One of his blows connected, and the grip on him tightened, a high, keening cry of pain matching his own hiss of fury.

 _Omega?_

"Stop it, I'm not trying to hurt you!" The perpetrator tucked himself closer to Mika's back, a familiar sweet scent radiating from his form as he tried to calm the vampire. Mika's own instincts reacted to the omega's pheromones, startling him into stillness. "I'm just trying to protect him! I'm not scared of you, Mika, please listen to me! We're family, aren't we?"

That did it. Mika's surprise shifted into sharp jealousy, and he knocked the other omega away with a well-placed blow, his growl of possessiveness growing louder as the other squeaked in pain and cowered, submitting to infuriated omega above him. "He's not your family! He's mine, and mine alone!"

The male omega blinked up at him, terrified, and oh, he was a _pretty_ little thing, wasn't he? Pretty and sweet, and male, another delicate little rarity that Mika was _sure_ he had used to get on Yuu's good side at least _once_. Look at him, submitting so perfectly, he was no doubt an absolute _treasure_ to the alphas in the military, an absolute _prize_ , Mika couldn't wait to tear him apart, how _dare_ he try to approach his alpha-

He hadn't even realized that he was swinging his sword until it was blocked by a blur of black and green, the twin blades of the alpha he'd headbutted blocking him from killing the omega below him. Mika glared, snapping his fangs aggressively, but the alpha glared right back, his dazed gaze underwhelming compared to the pure feral anger in his scent.

"Try to touch him again and I swear I will kill you," the alpha snarled. Mika hissed, but stepped back anyways, carrying Yuu with him as he withdrew from the camp.

The other alpha's scent had no effect on him, but he instinctively knew better than to try to fight an alpha protecting an omega. If he provoked him any further, he was bound to lose a limb or two.

"Wait, Kimizuki, stop!" the other alpha rushed into the scene, arms outstretched. Mika flinched, but her stance wasn't threatening, and she wasn't approaching him, so he didn't move. "Don't hurt him! Yuu will kill us if he gets injured."

She turned to Mika, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. "We don't want to fight you, Mikaela. Please, listen to me before you try anything."

"Listen to you? Why should I?" Mika hunched lower over Yuu's sleeping form, hissing angrily. "You're nothing but traitors. I have no interest in what you have to say-"

"This is about Yuuichirou!" Shinoa stepped forward, reaching out like he was a frightened animal. Her scent rose, an alpha's calming command trying to soothe him, but all it did was make him bare his fangs at her, enraged at the implications behind her intentions.

 _I don't submit to_ you, _alpha._

Shinoa stopped, grimacing, then crouched down to his level. Mika watched her carefully, flinching when she manifested her weapon, but all she did was slide a flask carefully over to him with the end of it, drawing back quickly when it got too close.

"If you're going to hold onto him like that, at least give him a little bit to drink." Mika eyed warily at the flask, not quite willing to go near it. "It's just water. We were trying to keep him hydrated when you burst in and grabbed him."

Mika glared at her, but reached forward and grabbed it anyways. The liquid inside was clear and smelled faintly of aluminum when he sniffed at it suspiciously, but he couldn't detect anything else in it.

 _Might as well._

He tipped Yuu's head up and carefully trickled water into his mouth, mindful of making sure he wouldn't choke. Shinoa watched him, noting the gentleness as he handled him, and backed away, certain that he wouldn't hurt him.

"Now then." she sighed, relieved that the tension of the moment had passed. The rest of the squad assembled behind her, watching him carefully, but other than the beta with the ponytail, there was no hostility in their gazes- only wariness. Mika stroked a hand through Yuu's hair and capped the flask, more than a little weirded out with their lack of aggression.

He had almost killed them. Why weren't they angry-?

"We've been trying to find you for a while, Mikaela." Shinoa smiled at him, body relaxing into something easy and unthreatening. Mika held Yuu closer, scowling, but Shinoa made no move to attack him. "I do hope you stick around a bit. We have quite a lot to talk about."


	7. Chapter 7

Shinoa, he soon learned, was the leader. The pink-haired alpha's name was Kimizuki, the chestnut-haired omega Yoichi, and the two betas (both alpha borderliners) were Mitsuba and Narumi.

Narumi, Shinoa explained, had lost his squad to vampires when they were leaving Crowley's territory, which was why he was with them. Mika didn't really care- the obvious hostility in Narumi's gaze had abolished any sympathy he might have had for him.

Not that he had any sympathy for any of them in the first place.

Which was an uncomfortable position for him to be in, because they obviously had a lot of sympathy for him. Shinoa and Yoichi especially- he kept catching them watching the way he held Yuu close, tracking every little bit of movement from the way he'd play with his hair to the times when he'd rest his cheek against his forehead, cooing softly to the alpha in his arms.

He'd growled at them twice, completely unapologetic for his behavior. Yuu was his best friend and his only family, and he hadn't seen him or touched him this extensively in four fucking years. If they had a problem with him coddling him, then they would just have to deal with it.

Not that they'd actually said anything about it yet. Shinoa seemed to be focusing her energies into trying to persuade him to stay, which he could admit was an admirable effort, considering the fact that there was nothing more than he wanted to do than to take Yuu and run away, as far and as fast from this place as he could.

"So as we were saying, Mikaela, we've actually been thinking about the possibility of leaving the army for a while now." Shinoa spun her ribbon between her fingers as she spoke, hair still loose over her shoulders. Mika suspected that she was trying to act casually so that he would feel more comfortable around her, but it wasn't working. "We knew that the lieutenant colonel had ties to the experimentation on Yuu for about a week now, but what happened during the fight only confirmed it. By all means, Yuu should have died when he took those pills- something kept him alive, something more powerful than his demon."

Mika buried his nose in Yuu's ruffled locks, struggling to keep his panic down. Yuu was alive, he was breathing, his heart was beating- but he still felt chills run down his spine when he thought of how close to death he had come.

 _I can't lose him again._

"So you mean to tell me," he said, fighting to keep the rage out of his voice, though it wasn't working very well. "That you didn't stop him from taking those pills, knowing full well that they would have killed him?"

"No, no Mikaela, that's not it." Shinoa frowned at him, a little irritated. "We tried to stop him, but that idiot swallowed them before we could get him to give them up. You probably know how just how impulsive can be."

Mika hummed, frowning at the slumbering alpha in his arms. He knew all to well that that would be something that Yuu would do, but he didn't want to admit that Shinoa was right.

...God, he was getting as prideful as the other vampires.

"…What did he say when he woke up?" Mika contented himself with running his fingers through Yuu's hair, stupidly enchanted with the choppy black locks and the way they resolutely refused to stay down, no matter how many times he tried to tame them. "You said he was conscious for a while before he passed out again. I want to know exactly what he said in that time limit so that I may guess just what the experiments that were run on the both of us might have pertained."

 _And whether you're trustworthy enough to bother staying around_ , he thought, meeting Shinoa's level gaze with a cold glare. _The only reason why I haven't run yet is because you know more about Yuu's reactions at this moment than I do. If I leave now, before he wakes up, then there's a chance that something may happen to him on the run that I can't help him with._

 _But you know that, don't you, alpha?_

Shinoa watched him uneasily, fiddling with the ribbon in her hands. Mika narrowed his eyes, instincts honing in on her nervous habit. He'd heard that omegas were uncannily good at reading body language, but he hadn't thought much of it until now, when every nervous tick or shift of the humans in front of him alerted him to their wary reluctance, so unlike the uncanny stillness of the vampires he had left behind.

 _She- they- don't want to tell me. They're not sure how I'm going to react._

With a start, he realized that he himself was posed like a predator; his breaths faint and even, his eyes unblinking, body tensed and wired to move. He didn't just look overprotective, like what he had thought; he looked like he was ready to kill, ready to pounce.

 _No wonder they're scared of me._

Still, he didn't move, some part of him whispering about the advantage it had over them- a group of vampire hunters, almost all of them dominant. He wasn't sure if it was the vampire part of him or the omega; either way, he listened.

If they respected him, then they were less likely to lie to him, for fear of their lives.

The thought left a sour taste in his mouth, and he frowned. He didn't care what they thought of him, but they were important to Yuu- for whatever reason. He should probably be nicer to them, if only for Yuu's sake.

...Maybe. He'll wait to see how Yuu reacted when he woke up.

Shinoa cleared her throat, tapping her fingers together. Mitsuba stepped forward and plucked the ribbon out of her hands, setting to work on re-braiding and tying her hair.

"...He woke up screaming about angels." Shinoa lightly stroked Mitsuba's arm, giving her a brief smile, then turned back to Mika and looked at him grimly. "I suspect he was in the middle of conversing with his demon, because once he noticed us, he started talking about saving Guren. Then he ran off to try to save him, completely ignoring what we were trying to say to him.'

Mika frowned at Yuu, silently chastising him, even though he knew that the alpha couldn't see or scent his disapproval. Then he rested his chin on his head, because the fact that Yuu was _here_ for him to be able to look at him disapprovingly hit him with a wave of emotion. "I'm guessing he failed."

"Yuuuup," Shinoa said, popping the 'p'. She gave Yuu an exasperated look of her own, and Mika felt a weird mixture of appreciation and disapproval when he caught the affection in her gaze. "Guren is still in the hands of the vampires. Yuu won't be too happy when he finds out."

Mika made a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement, holding Yuu tighter. He already hated Guren, but he could tell that he had been important to Yuu- even though they had fought the last time he had seen them. Waking up to find out about losing him would probably hurt.

 _Well, that's why I'm here_ , he thought, tracing a finger over the seam of Yuu's uniform. _I'm here now, Yuu. I'll help you get over Guren._

Shinoa watched them, then stepped forward, catching Mika's attention. "Would you know anything about that, Mikaela? Yuu told us that you were turned by force, but-"

"If he was captured by Crowley, then he's likely not coming back," Mika said harshly, irritated by her approach and the casual mention of his loss of humanity. The interruption sent a chill down his spine- speaking over an alpha just wasn't _done_ \- but he didn't care. "Crowley is loyal to whoever holds the most power in Sanguinem. With the current political crisis going on, your lieutenant is most likely going to be held in prison until the reigning vampire decides what to do with him."

Mika turned back to Yuu, oblivious to the shock that passed over Shinoa's face. Her scent changed, taking on a commanding, questioning aura, but he pointedly ignored it, pressing his nose to Yuu's scent glands to block her pheromones out.

A shiver of hunger and heat passed over him as he breathed in deep, and he clenched his fangs tight, grimly battling it down. He would have to drink a vial before Yuu woke up, and his scent could be matched with the overprotectiveness that the alpha had displayed on the battlefield. Mika didn't want to be thrown into the shadow of another heat cycle while Yuu was aware of what was going on.

 _He can't know how I react to him. Going into heat for him? That'll either make him feel like he has to help or it'll disgust him. I can't force him to do something he doesn't want just because I'm an omega._

Mika pulled back and brushed a lock of hair out of Yuu's face, feeling something heavy and cold settle in the pit of his stomach. Like this unconscious and free of worry, Yuu looked like an angel, perfect and untouched by the pains of the mortal world.

Looking at him left a fierce ache in his throat. Mika swallowed thickly, trying to convince himself that the pain in his throat was from bloodlust and not from longing for something that he could not possibly have.

"...Wait." Shinoa waved her hands, catching his attention again. This time, Mika really did snarl at her, but she was too alarmed to heed his anger. "Political crisis? What political crisis? Our intel didn't say anything about this."

Mika cringed. He wasn't supposed to tell the humans about Ferid's attempt to overthrow Krul, or hint to the likely chaos that would soon follow, regardless of the outcome of the fight.

Oops.

"...The seventh progenitor currently in Japan will make an attempt to overthrow the reign of the third progenitor at some point in the near future," Mika said, trying to keep his information as brief and informal as possible. _It could be happening now_. "No matter what happens, there's likely to be loyalty shifts within the ranks of the vampire nobles, and some degree of assassination, blackmailing, and treason, which will slow or change the process of the decision of what to do with your 'Guren'."

Yoichi gasped. The scents of the others rose as they listened- a confused, worried, enraged jumble- but Mika kept his gaze firmly on Shinoa, watching keenly as she processed the information.

The female alpha didn't meet his gaze. She was frowning at some point off in the distance, red-brown eyes calculative, deciding what to do and how to react. Mika watched her, and noted that she wasn't nearly as good as processing emotion as she thought. There was a definite pause between her thinking phase and her reaction phase as she struggled with it, like she wasn't used to feeling anything besides apathy.

 _...Interesting._

"What about the threat of the army?" She finally asked, looking back at him. There was a sternness to her gaze that he knew wasn't directed at him, but it made him bristle nonetheless. "If they kidnapped him, then surely they knew that he has a relatively high position in the military. Aren't they worried that they might try to take him back?"

Mika snorted. "Vampires aren't as concerned about the humans as you think. All they care about is the motives of the other bloodsuckers around them, and how best to stab them in the back."

Shinoa gave him a startled look, like she didn't expect him to talk about other vampires like that, but she didn't get a chance to ask him. The beta with the trident- Narumi- shoved past her, approaching Mika with a glare on his face.

Mika hunched closer over Yuu and hissed, baring his fangs at the borderliner, but Narumi didn't react to his distress pheromones like Shinoa and Kimizuki had. The beta hovered over him, glowering, and Mika trembled with the urge to _run_ , to _lash out_ , to _get out_ from under the shadow of the threat.

Narumi didn't have the eyes, scent, or arrogance of an alpha, but he had the commanding stance and head tilt of one, and the confusion of the contrasting messages filled Mika with apprehension. He could barely hear Shinoa's voice behind Narumi, yelling at him to leave him alone; he was too focused on controlling himself, his vampire instincts clashing with his inner omega.

 _Lunge up. Bite him. Unsheathe your claws and put the human in its place._

 _Submit. Run. Stay down and protect your alpha. Get out of here._

Narumi payed no heed to the distress and hatred radiating off Mika or the frightened command in Shinoa's scent, holding her off with one hand. Yoichi started towards them, but Kimizuki held him back, not wanting the omega to get caught up in the drama.

"All of this talk about vampires and treachery is well and good, but I don't care about what's going to happen later." Narumi's amber eyes burned into Mika's icy blues, daring him to stand down. Mika gritted his teeth, but glared back, his fury the only thing keeping him from backing down. "Right now, I'm more concerned about the fact that a soldier under my protection is now in the arms of a vampire, whom we all seem prepared to trust, for _some reason_ that is _unfathomable_ to me."

"Yuu is my family," Mika hissed. He could understand the beta's concern, but the underlying implications- that he would hurt Yuu- made him furious. "I would _never_ hurt him."

"Oh, really?" Narumi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with Mika's display of aggression. "What about your thirst? You can't expect me to believe you will be able to survive on nothing. Sooner or later, you _will_ need to feed. Where are you going to get the blood from, bloodsucker?"

Mika's thirst spiked at the beta's words- a speech so familiar by now that he had come to associate it with Ferid's taunting, with Krul's blood. He glared at him, then flipped the top of the satchel up, pulling out a vial.

 _You want to know whether I'm prepared or not? Joke's on you, beta. I've been preparing for this mission since I lost Yuu._

Narumi stared at him, startled. Mika huffed, grimly satisfied, then pulled out the stopper and took a swig.

The bitter chemical taste of the suppressants hit him instantly. Mika shuddered, cringing, but didn't stop drinking, the slight relief from the pain of his thirst overriding the sharp _wrong_ taste of the pills.

He tipped his head back down, wiping his mouth, then froze. While he was occupied with drinking, Shinoa had manifested her weapon, using it to form a barrier between Narumi, him, and Yuu.

"He has adequate supplies," she said, meeting Narumi's gaze evenly. "And he fought us tooth- and- nail to take Yuu back, then proceeded to hold him, hiss at us, and scent him like we were the threats- which to him, we _are_. Or did you forget that we're an elite squad of vampire hunters that just so happens to belong to a military that does human experimentation?"

Mika stared at her in surprise, not expecting her to take his side. Shinoa glanced at him, then looked back to the beta, her gaze softening at the tension in his shoulders.

"Look," she said softly. "I know their loss still hurts you. Believe me, I know. But Mika wasn't there. He wasn't responsible. Don't turn your hurt and anger on him just because he's one of them."

Narumi glared at her, but his shoulders were trembling. Mika knew the expression on his face all too well- it was the look that Yuu used to give him back when they were kids, when something was hurting him but he didn't want to admit to Mika what was wrong.

The memory hurt him more than he thought it would.

 _I'm not going to feel sorry for a beta who just threatened me. I'm not going to feel sorry for a beta that's probably just manipulating Yuu._

Narumi stepped back, giving Mika a cursory glance. The omega tensed, ready for a fight, but there was no longer any anger in the beta's posture, and his eyes were filled with grim resolve rather than hostility.

"I apologize for my behavior." Narumi's tone was clipped and bitter. Mika watched as his eyes trailed over his fangs, his sunguard, the insignia on his uniform- all the little things that labeled him as a vampire, one of the creatures that had killed people that were important to him.

Mika grudgingly supposed that he could relate.

"I still don't trust you though," Narumi continued. Shinoa hissed, and he shot her a quelling glance, shrugging as if asking _What? Did you expect me to play nice?_ "I wasn't briefed on their mission. It took me by surprise when they admitted that they were looking for you."

The beta's hard amber eyes found his again, studying him. "Perhaps you will be able to change that."

There was an underlying barb to Narumi's words: a quiet _I doubt it_ expressed in the uplift of his chin, the set of his shoulders. It was a cue subtle enough to slip by the alphas watching, subtle enough for Shinoa, who was watching intently, to miss.

Mika wasn't fooled.

"Lucky for you, I don't trust you either." Mika rested Yuu's head on his shoulder and tipped his head up, mimicking the haughty, cold aura he had seen so extensively back at Sanguinem. "And it's going to take a hell of a lot of convincing for you to change that."

Narumi glared at him, irritated, but not surprised. Shinoa frowned at him, but swirled her scythe up and away from them, sensing that the worst of the danger had past.

"Trust or no trust, we need to figure out our plan of action." She looked back at the rest of her squad, silently asking them for assistance. "We agreed to stay loyal to the lieutenant colonel as long as we needed to find Mika, did we not? I can't quite remember what we decided to do once that objective was met."

Kimizuki sighed. "We didn't." He looked at the others, raising a dyed eyebrow. "Do you guys have anything to add?"

Narumi crossed his arms and frowned. Shinoa gave him a disappointed look, but the veteran only huffed and looked away. "Nothing on my part. I didn't know you guys had a goddamned objective. I thought you just wanted to kill bloodsuckers."

Mitsuba chuckled, giving Yuu (and him, Mika noted with surprise) a fond glance. "I think that plan was put on hold for now. We have more important things to worry about after all."

Kimizuki nodded. Yoichi pushed past the tall alpha, giving Mika a gentle smile. "Our plan was to save and protect our family. I'd say that we're following that strategy quite well right now."

 _I'm not your family,_ Mika wanted to scream, but there was a sweet kindness to Yoichi's smile that reminded him of the children back at the orphanage. _Stop helping me._

 _Stop._

If Yoichi caught the confusuion and hurt in Mika's scent, he didn't show it. He flashed the omega another shy smile, then turned and pouted, sadness and disappointment spilling into his scent. "That is, if you guys could stop fighting each other!"

Mika flinched, preparing for an onslaught of worried pheromones from the alphas, but all they did was roll their eyes and laugh, patting the little omega on his back. Yoichi grinned, happiness and satisfaction returning to his scent as the tension in the air diffused.

 _How...?_

Shinoa gave them a fond smile, then turned back to Mika. "Well, that settles it."

"Settles _what?_ " Mika snapped, frustrated. The casual way that the squad was acting now- so like a family, so like a pack, was making him uneasy, reminding him just how much of an outsider he was to them- an outsider who had lost his own family, who was still drifting, his only place in the world wholly controlled by the slumbering alpha in his arms. "If you're going to keep talking about things without explaining them to me, then I'm going to take Yuu and leave right now-"

Shinoa laughed, jolting him out of his downward spiral of self-hatred with a burst of renewed irritation. He didn't even realize he was doing it- she'd saved him a nasty trip, without even realizing.

He growled at her for that, fully aware that his negative reaction to her aid was born of his own petulance at being soothed by an alpha other than Yuu, but she only smiled.

"That's the idea, actually." She spun her demon key playfully between her fingers, making it spark without manifesting her weapon. He could still tell she wasn't fully comfortable with him, but she grinned at him nonetheless, a rebellious light shining in her eyes.

Mika recognized that light. He was already regretting staying to listen to her speak.

"We're running away from the army, like you wanted. But this time, we're going to do it together- all of us, as a single squad."

She spread her arms and stood proudly, beaming at him. "Welcome to the family, Hyakuya Mikaela!"


	8. Chapter 8

Mikaela did not feel welcomed into the family.

Oh, sure, it wasn't like they weren't giving at least some attempt to be nice to him. Even Narumi was giving some half-assed attempt to be decent, even if Mika could tell he wasn't really invested in it. They talked to him like he was a person, smiled at him when it was needed, and included him in their discussions even if he didn't ask for it. Yuu must have done a good job talking about him for them to be so polite to him.

Mika wasn't fooled.

Even if they greeted him warmly, he could hear the way their hearts fluttered faster when he looked at them. He could taste the fear and wariness lingering in their scents when he opened his mouth to check the air around them for enemy soldiers. He could see the tension in their bodies when he walked by them, the way they flinched and stared at him like they were calculating just how quickly and efficiently they could take him down.

It was a little unnerving, and certainly annoying, but Mika was used to it. The vampires back in Sanguinem had been fascinated by the lengths of his peculiarity; from his dynamic to the haziness of his past and the mystery of his status and half-state. He'd grown used to their curious, predatory stares piercing into his back as he walked, the far-faded scents of alphas and betas flagging in interest at the clarity of his strong, youthful omega pheromones. Dull red eyes scrutinizing him like a piece of meat were nothing: the wariness of a group of people who were technically prey to him didn't concern him as much as it did isolate him.

Not that he cared to fit in. Yuu was the only one he could trust here, and he was still unconscious, a phenomenon that worried Mika but was apparently normal, according to Shinoa. The female alpha was one of the few in the squad whose curiosity of Mika eclipsed her mistrust-apart from Yoichi, whose shy, timid demeanor, as Mika was starting to see, was just part of his personality.

"The angels he was yelling about must have done whatever healing his demon couldn't do, but that still means Asuramaru got the brunt of the work." She had lightly reached out and touched the tip of the sword hilt with almost fond affection, which earned her a glare and a growl from Mika. "Given the fact that his demon also had to help him battle Crowley, he might not wake up for a while yet."

Mika watched her- perched on the tips of her toes like a bird, slim fingertip lightly resting on the sheath of Yuu's sword- and briefly contemplated snapping at her. Then he remembered his thirst and what would happen if he came close to human blood, and decided against it.

"What do you propose to do, then?" He had asked gruffly, the barely-suppressed warning growl in his throat making speaking difficult. "There are soldiers on both sides all around us. I can't keep him here, it's too dangerous."

Shinoa had looked at him with a gaze that seemed to be a mixture of irritation and pity, like she was pissed that he was still trying to take Yuu away but was trying to remember that they'd just been reunited after year of separation. Actually, that was probably exactly what she was thinking, but Mika didn't care. She seemed trustworthy, but she was _human_ , and part of the JIDA. If she wanted respect, she would have to earn it.

(At this point, a scent blocker would probably win her at least a quarter of the favors. The pheromones of a female alpha were overpoweringly strong, stronger even than that of an adult male, and he wasn't used to it. Just muffling it so it wouldn't be so strong would probably help calm the periodic twinges of anxiety that rocketed through him everytime he got worried about Yuu and she automatically tried to help reassure him via pheromone.)

(That hadn't gone very well. Her scent only made him more anxious, and the sharp, rattling hiss that he made when threatened was apparently a purely vampire thing, judging by the way everyone stared at him so fearfully when he did it.)

"In that case," she had said calmly, clearly fighting back the urge to wrangle him into submission, "We should move camp. It's late, but we have your senses and Yoichi's sharp eyes to help guide us, so we should be able to deal with any vampires and Horsemen that cross our path."

Her voice was friendly, but had held the slightest undertone of a threat, and her head was tilted like she was pleading him to help. Mika, much to his irritation, was able to interpret her message with perfect clarity.

 _I have pack that I need to protect and guide. I've welcomed you with open arms, but you are new and unpredictable. I need you to prove yourself worthy before I can really trust you._

He'd met her eyes and nodded his head, acutely aware of the rest of the squad watching him in anticipation. Shinoa relaxed, shoulders slumping like a weight had fallen off of her back, and Mika snorted softly in amusement and annoyance.

 _What? Does she really think I would intentionally do anything that might possibly upset Yuu? She's a fool._

"It will be child's play," he had said coolly, trusting that his years of faking confidence would mask his discontent from them. He was still holding Yuu; hopefully the alpha's scent and the suppressants would mask any minor irritation in his own. "My hearing and eyesight is keener than the eyes of your demons. Avoiding conflict will be easy."

The relief from the others was almost tangible. Mika could see the way the tension bled out of them, could hear their soft sighs of relief with the assurance that a superhuman entity would help them where they were still far too vulnerable. Even Narumi relaxed, perhaps reassured that there was less chance of Mika attacking them than he might have been suspecting.

Mika watched in disbelief. Help or no help, he was still a stranger. They shouldn't be this trusting of him; if anything, they should have been even more on guard when he'd said he would help. This sort of blind trust would get them killed.

 _I can see why Yuu likes them so much._

He clenched his teeth, not wanting to think about that, but his train of thought had been interrupted by Mitsuba approaching him, body language and scent carefully masked to be neutral.

"What about Yuuichirou?" She'd asked, pointing at the comatose alpha in his lap. "Do you want one of us to carry him? Surely you won't be able to fight while carrying him-"

He'd uncoiled his legs out from underneath him and stood in one fluid motion, slinging Yuu over his back like he was nothing. A quick adjustment of his cape and Yuu's legs, and the alpha was slumped over Mika piggyback style, head resting on the omega's shoulder.

Yuu's hair and breath tickled Mika's face, and every instinct in his body demanded that he should nestle him closer to Mika's scent glands, but that hadn't stopped him from standing as tall and straight as he could, meeting Mitsuba's eyes defiantly.

"I didn't say I would fight," he said smoothly. "I said I would avoid conflict. I can still carry Yuu and defend him, but I will be doing it by not having to fight at all."

Mitsuba had stared at him, face reddening in embarrassment, but whatever retort she might have had for him was cut off by Shinoa and Yoichi laughing.

"He got you there, Mitsu!" the alpha giggled, bumping her shoulder playfully with the beta's. "You need ice for that burn?"

Mitsuba shoved her away, grumbling. Yoichi stopped giggling and smiled gently at Mika, gesturing to Yuu with slender, calloused fingers.

"I know we're the fastest and have the keenest eyesight, and you have the strength of a vampire, but that still can't be too comfortable." Mika had wrinkled his nose at him, but the omega kept going. "If he gets too heavy, hand him to Shiho or Narumi, okay? That way we can keep them safe without you straining yourself."

"What." Mika stated flatly, unfamiliar with the new name. "Who's"-

"Me," Kimizuki groaned. "That's my first name. I _told_ him not to use that."

The alpha glowered at Yoichi, but looked away at a sweet, nervous smile from the omega. Mika eyed them, decided he didn't quite care about the nature of their relationship, and turned to Shinoa again.

"Well?" He asked curtly. "Are we going or what?"

Shinoa looked up at him and smiled serenely, repeatedly poking Mitsuba's cheek with one finger as the beta screeched at her. "Yep! I think I saw an abandoned hotel somewhere north of here when we were passing by."

Mitsuba finally gave up and stormed off with a huff. Shinoa grinned at her retreating figure, then turned her attention to the rest of the squad.

"Okay guys, time to move out!" She stalked through the center of the camp, slinging a bag full of supplies onto her back. Mika silently noted that despite her size, the alpha was much stronger than she looked. "You heard us talking. We'll be taking an evasive route through the city, lead by Mikaela and Yoichi. Manifest your weapons now, and be ready for a fight, just in case."

Everyone scrambled to comply, responding to the suddenly dominant edge to her voice. Mika rolled his eyes and started walking, knowing that they would be able to catch up to him regardless if he started moving early.

A soft scramble behind him, the flutter of a nervous heartbeat, and suddenly Yoichi was by his side, sweet omega scent matching Mika's own. The vampire gave him a sharp look, taken aback by the approach and the bow in Yoichi's hand, but all he got was a shrug and a smile in return.

"Your senses are better than mine, but you still need someone to watch your back." Yoichi's voice was gentle and calm, a stark contrast to Shinoa's easy, but persistent tone. "And you're an omega, too. It's nice to be around someone of the same dynamic as me again! Maybe we can talk?"

 _Again._

Mika realized, abruptly, that despite all the books he had read on his dynamic, he had never met another omega, let alone one who was male and (presumably) on a set heat cycle. He could tell that Yoichi was on suppressants- now that he was up close to him, and not spitting mad, he could smell a faint chemical edge to Yoichi's scent- but maybe he would have some answers to the questions Mika had about his dynamic that he had not studied in texts.

 _Like about heat cycles, and how to regulate my scent, and why every alpha and beta but Yuu stinks to the high heavens even though I'm unclaimed._

 _...This may prove to be useful after all._

He turned away from Yoichi's hopeful grin, hating how kind he was already. Even though he was friendly and (probably) had most of the answers to Mika's questions, he was also most likely a toy of the army, used to deceive Yuu so he could experiment on him.

...Maybe I can still escape from this later, once Yuu wakes up.

"Perhaps." Mika shifted Yuu's weight on his back, adjusting him so he was more comfortable. Yoichi had had a point- Mika was strong enough to hold him, but Yuu was nearly as tall as he was, and he had the sturdy build of his dynamic. He was a little hard to balance on Mika's thin frame. "If you don't bother me, that is."

Yoichi laughed. Mika stopped scanning the horizon line for opponents and looked at him, surprised by his reaction.

I thought that would scare him.

"I'm sorry," the other omega gasped, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "It's just- you remind me of Yuu when I first met him. He was just as prickly to me then as you are right now."

He played with his bowstring, looking between Mika and Yuu with a fond smile. "You're really close to him, aren't you? I mean, it makes sense. You were his first family, after all."

Yoichi's words opened up a well of raw emotion in his chest, and Mika clenched his jaw, surprised by how such a simple statement could affect him so strongly.

 _'_ _You were his first family.'_

 _Were._

"I still am," He said harshly, suddenly fearful of just what Yoichi was implying. It was probably nothing, probably nothing at all, but he still didn't know this omega, didn't know the sway he might have had over Yuu in the four years Mika was away. Almost without realizing it, he leaned closer, jaws gaping open to bare all four of his fangs, the top ones glistening with venom, the smaller hooks on the bottom gleaming in the light of the demon weapon. "I'm his _only_ family. Don't talk like you know what we are!"

 _Don't talk like you know him, don't talk like you spent every night next to him, every day chasing after him, don't talk like his smile hung the sun in your sky, the way his confidence was the only thing keeping you alive through the dark nights through the starvation and the fear and Ferid and the need to act strong and take the pain and the humiliation so the others never had to suffer, don't act like how the thought of him was the only thing that saved you when all you wanted to do was to die once you realized that you were hopeless, that you were turned into a monster._

 _Don't imply that you took him away from me. Please._

Yoichi stilled, face draining of colour. Mika narrowed his eyes, hyperaware of how his heart raced, how the blood rushing through his veins made him ache with want, venom sliding down his fangs even as his thirst was staved off by his own anger and defensive fear. The monster within him was held down by the omega screaming for his family, clinging to the last thing he had left of a pack.

 _You've welcomed me in but you're not_ them. _You_ never _will be them. I've lost them and he's the only person I have left in this world to cling to_.

 _Take him from me, and I will kill you. I swear I will kill you._

"...Yoichi? Mikaela?" A hesitant voice echoed from behind, no doubt worried about how still they were, how the fear and hostility emanated from them in waves. "Is everything all right?"

Mika didn't response, all of his attention fixated on the omega before him. Yuu was a deadweight against his back, vulnerable and so, so _there_ , his weight and his scent not a dream but a reality, and Mika feared, with every bit of humanity still left in him, that the message he had picked out of Yoichi's words wasn't true.

He was probably overreacting. But he didn't trust this pack, not one bit, and though he had no choice but to stay with them until Yuu woke up, he could still make it very, very clear that his place in the world was next to Yuu's side, and that anyone who challenged that would have to face the consequences.

 _I'm not losing him. Not again._

Yoichi wet his lips, glancing nervously at Mika's bared fangs, then turned his head and called back to the rest of the group, fighting to keep the tremble out of his voice. "It's okay! Mikaela just thought he saw something. Hang back while we check!"

Softly, under his breath, he whispered "Sshh. It's okay. I'm sorry, I should have known."

The minute trembling in Mika's body stilled, his anger dissipating against his will as Yoichi bowed his head, tilting it slightly to one side in submission. His scent was still fearful, but Mika could detect the sadness in it, the wish for compassion. "I'm sorry Mika, I shouldn't have used past tense. I can't imagine how awful the past few years might have felt for you."

Mika froze. Yoichi looked up at him out of the corner of his eye, hope gleaming in the hazel. "Can I call you that? Mika? It's what Yuu used for you, so much so that I started referring to you like that in my head."

Mika didn't respond. Yoichi laughed softly, looking back down at the ground. "I'm sorry if that was too forward. But I really do understand. You're so strong, being so alone for all those years. I never would have been able to do it."

His body language was entirely sincere.

Mika snapped his mouth shut, ignoring the venom that had pooled in his saliva. He wasn't used to apologies- Krul had never apologized, Yuu had been too proud, Ferid had never meant it, and none of the kids had ever done anything that really warranted an actual apology. Even back before the orphanage, when he was still with his parents, he could not remember ever hearing an apology in the screamed Russian, nor had his mother ever told him how sorry she was when she spent her days worshipping her cult instead of feeding her starving, beaten child.

To see Yoichi like this- submitting to _him_ , another omega of all things- begging for forgiveness, was strange.

 _I don't even_ know _you._

"Stop talking about that," he grumbled, turning away. The submission was starting to rub him the wrong way, his omega instincts perturbed with being treated like an alpha, vampire instincts trying to convince him to sink his fangs into the pale skin of Yoichi's exposed neck. "I don't want to remember it."

There must have been something in his voice or his stance that convinced Yoichi that he was forgiven, because the omega got up without a hint of fear, empathy and sorrow strong in his gaze as he stared at Mika. The other omega looked away with a growl of annoyance, not liking the pity, and spat at the ground.

"Venom," he explained curtly, noticing the way Yoichi jumped. "Tastes horrible."

A look of apprehension crossed Yoichi's face, but he tamped it down bravely. He probably knew that the reason why Mika's mouth was full of venom was because he had been longing to bite him, and yet he still managed to look politely curious for sake of being able to talk to Mika.

"What's it like, having venomous fangs?" He nodded at the dark spot on the ground, then traced a finger over a spot on his shoulder. "I've felt it before when I got bit on the battlefield, but it must be strange to produce it."

Mika set off, scowling. He didn't want to talk about what it felt like to be a vampire; he already knew he was a freak. He didn't like saying it out loud, and he didn't want to connect those attributes to himself when others could hear it.

And yet...

"Difficult." He adjusted Yuu's weight again- the alpha's arm had been resting on his sunguard, making it dig uncomfortably into his shoulder- and tried to keep himself a few paces ahead of Yoichi. It didn't work; true to his word, Yoichi's matching dynamic allowed him to keep pace with Mika easily, a feat that an alpha or a beta would not be able to accomplish. "Learning to talk normally again is hard. You don't want to bite yourself, because even though you have resistance to your own venom, it can still make you lightheaded."

Yoichi perked up, bounding ahead of him so he could look at him clearly. "Wow, really?! I didn't know vampire venom worked on other vampires! We thought it was strictly for humans!"

Mika snorted. "Of course you wouldn't know. Biting another vampire is a taboo pleasure."

He remembered biting Krul, and winced. The sensation of flesh yielding beneath his teeth had been downright euphoric; the rush of energy and vitality he had gotten from her blood, coupled with the sheer control he had over her shadow of a life force, had been disturbingly satisfying. He'd been trying to quell his thirst, but looking back on it, Mika could admit that he'd derived great pleasure from biting her, even if half of it was just relief from the pain in his throat.

"It's taboo? Why?" Yoichi tilted his head, curiosity roused by the snippets of information Mika was giving him, no matter how clipped and irritable they were. "Why would a vampire bite another vampire? I thought you guys needed human blood to survive."

Mika swerved to the right, away from the distant sound of clanging, grinding joints, and groaned.

It was going to be a long trip.

.

.

.

They all looked so peaceful as they slept.

Mika shifted in his spot next to Yuu's sleeping bag, uncomfortable with his train of thought. Seeing the majority of the squad asleep and vulnerable was…jarring. He was a vampire; their enemy. By all means, they should all be watching him, waiting for him to betray them.

Of course, it was clear that they didn't trust him fully yet. Kimizuki's soft breathing behind him made that fact all too clear. But one guard was nothing; surely they should know that by now.

 _Fools. Kind, manipulative, trusting fools._

He turned and looked out of the shattered window of the hotel lobby, watching as a flock of birds flew across the sky. The sun was rising; the pale golden rays of the new day turned the joint between the pale blue of the sky a bloody red, an irony that was not lost on the fledgling vampire.

Even with the sunguard, the light of it burned him. Mika closed his eyes, watching black specks dance behind his eyes, and exhaled slowly.

Behind him, something stirred; a heartbeat quickened, consciousness speeding the slow pulse into a strong, steady rhythm. Mika's ears twitched under his hair as he focused in on the noise, trying to locate which cot it was coming from.

He figured it out the second that a loud groan filled the air, a groggy "Oi, what the fuck, Asura" echoing through the lobby.

Mika spun around, ignoring the startled jolt from Kimizuki (the alpha had been dozing, just as he thought he was) and smiled joyfully at the sight that met him.

Yuu was awake, awake and rubbing sleepily at his face with both hands, like he was trying to rub the fatigue out of his eyes.

It was a painfully nostalgic sight; Mika could remember how Yuu used to wake up next to him in the vampire city, awake but not aware, and how he used to crouch in wait for him to open his eyes before jumping on him so he could scare him, because Yuu was always too tired in the mornings to try to hide the way he would scream in terror everytime Mika pounced on him, and the way he would howl in fury as Mika took advantage of his lowered guard to tickle him had been _precious_.

...Actually...

Mika shuffled closer, crouching lower to the ground, and waited with bated breath as Yuu grumbled loudly, his voice making the others stir uncomfortably under their sheets.

"What the fuck...goddamned demon with his stupid cryptic messages...laughing about family...wait, why do I smell like-"

He lowered his hands and stared at them, startlingly bright green eyes blinking open in confusion.

 _"_ _-Mika?"_

Mika saw his opportunity and took it.

"Boo," the omega whispered, hovering close to Yuu's shoulder, hands outstretched in mimicry of the way he used to in the underground, sans the pouncing. He could feel the painful stretch in his face muscles as he smiled, but he couldn't help himself, anymore than he could help the way his heart had raced faster at the sight of Yuu's eyes. God, he _loved_ that shade of green.

If he'd been expecting a scream of terror, that wasn't what he got. Yuu whirled around, gasping as he came face- to- face with slitted pupils and sharp teeth, but as soon as he registered who they belonged to, his entire face lit up, joy lighting up his face and thickening in his scent, turning it into something warm and comfortable and familiar around them.

"Mika!" He yelled, loud enough to jolt Mitsuba out of sleep, and, with a quick twist and surge forward, he was in Mika's arms, knocking him onto his back with the force of his hug. "You're really here! I wasn't dreaming!"

Mika unfroze, then hugged him back, wriggling slightly so he could accommodate the weight of Yuu's body against him. He hadn't expected Yuu to hug him so joyfully; his right leg was at an awkward angle, and his shoulder was stinging painfully from where it smacked the ground, but that was nothing compared to the sensation of Yuu nuzzling into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, feeling the way his relieved laughter shook his body as he held Mika like he never wanted to let go.

Mika laughed back, a soft, happy coo rising in his throat. Yuu's scent around him was warm and sweet and reminded him overwhelmingly of home, the suppressants he had taken allowing him to enjoy the happiness and affection in his alpha's pheromones without him reacting too strongly to them.

He tapped Yuu's back lightly, and they struggled into a sitting position, Yuu refusing to let go of him even as his weight nearly tipped them back again when he overbalanced. Behind them, Mitsuba and Kimizuki were waking up the others, hushing them quietly, but Mika paid no mind to them. He was too focused on how _right_ this felt- if Yuu's laughter was shaking his body, then the force of his purring must be tickling Yuu's throat, because he was purring so hard that his entire body was vibrating.

This was where he should be- holding Yuu in his arms and being held back, happy and safe, listening to him laugh and smile. This was where he belonged.

This was _home_.

At last, Yuu pulled back, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. He grinned at him, and Mika grinned back, for once feeling peace and happiness settle over the weight in his chest.

"This is great! How did you find me?" The alpha blinked and looked around, taking in the lobby with wide eyes. "Where are we?"

"You are at a hotel." Shinoa appeared suddenly behind Yuu, pressing down on his shoulders and matching Yuu's yelp of surprise with a tired, fierce grin. Mika blinked up at her, too content to bother growling at her. "More accurately, we are at a hotel. Your family found us last night when your stupid virgin ass was knocked out cold."

Yuu scowled briefly at her, but his face lit up again as the rest of the squad surrounded them, grinning and ruffling his hair affectionately. Mika might have growled at them then, but there was no heat to it- his purring made it a bit difficult to properly snarl. "Mika found _you_? We're all here? You're all okay? This is great!"

He scanned their faces excitedly, then started looking around again, confusion settling back over his features. "Wait, where's Guren?"

Mika felt a chill of forbidding race down his spine. Yuu must have seen the sudden discomfort in the faces of the people around him, because his smile dropped, fear rising in his scent. "I don't get it. What happened when I was out? Didn't we save him?"

Shinoa winced, meeting Mika's eyes sympathetically. He made a warning face back, and, with a quiet exhale, she sat down next to the two of them, bracing her elbows on her knees so she could rest her chin on her intertwined fingers.

"That," she said wearily, "Is the part that you are not going to like."


	9. Chapter 9

Just as predicted, Yuu did not take to the news of Guren's capture well at _all._

It had taken both Mika and Kimizuki to restrain him, as his gut instinct had been to attempt to grab Asuramaru and then run out the door to who-knows-where. Kimizuki had nearly managed to corner him when he'd bolted for the door, but it had been Mika's omega speed and vampire senses that had managed to pin him down until Yuu had calmed down.

And even then, calmer, with Mika's soothing pheromones and soft purr keeping his panic from rising again, it had been a struggle to make him see reason. Guren _needed_ their help, he insisted. They needed to get him back _right now._

It was only when Narumi had slapped him across the face and screamed at him that they didn't need anymore dead bodies that he had finally subsided. Mika had nearly taken his hand off for that one, but even he could see how much Yuu had needed that to think logically.

He could also see the way Yuu struggled to force down tears, the way he shivered violently at the thought of Guren in the hands of the vampires. Losing someone close to him seemed far worse to him than the thought of his own death. Mika had watched him tremble and had swallowed down a surge of guilt and self-loathing, all too aware that the reason why Yuu felt that way could be traced directly back to memories of little bodies broken and bleeding on cold marble floors, memories of abandonment and loss that would not have been so had Mika thought a _little bit harder_ before he'd acted.

 _(My fault. All my fault. I'm so, so sorry.)_

Shinoa had eventually managed to gather the group together long enough to be able to explain the situation and their plan to Yuu, clarifying some of the details that had been left to be resolved until he woke up. They were, she said, going to lie low until the revolution in the vampire capitol would be resolved, or at least be settled enough for them to be able to sneak into Sanguinem without being met with war. Until then, they were officially deserters, and would have to avoid the army at all costs.

Yuu had asked what would happen if they were caught.

Shinoa had replied that he didn't want to know.

.

.

.

That had been three weeks ago.

Now, they were six miles of forest and two cities over, and Mika could not be more frustrated with the stagnancy of life, with how little he knew what was coming their way. They had stuck to the cities so that he could watch the vampire patrols and thus glean any information of the fate of Krul through irregularities in the system, but everything remained on schedule. Every day and night, when Mika would scale the ruins, heeding the prickling warning in his skin that told him of the proximity of another vampire, the patrols would be on time. On time, with the correct units and correct number of bloodsuckers doing their rounds, the lazy boredom in their long, loping strides indicative of the monotony of their lives.

Mika hated it.

He should _know_ of the conflict in Sanguinem by now. Ferid must have had plenty of opportunities to dethrone Krul right now; the lack of change in the procedures didn't make any _sense_. He'd sat by Krul's side and mingled with the nobles long enough to know that a change in the hierarchy should have caused a change in the lower levels. Mika himself had overheard Ferid rousing support from his subordinates by declaring that he would change the patrols from routine sweeps to hunting units, feeding off the humans hiding in the city that could not be driven into obedience. Had he overthrown Krul, even recently, the change should have been evident by now.

Of course, there was a part of Mika that very strongly wished against it. Krul had made him what he was, but she had also been a rock in the four years of hell that had marked his fledgling years. She had treated him with kindness, had supported him and defended him and comforted him when he needed it the most. He was somewhat reluctant to admit it, but without Krul's orders and stability he felt restless and uncertain, so unused to making his own decisions that without her surefooted authority, he felt like something about him had been set adrift, like a bird that had flown so far from the nest that it had no idea how to get back on its own.

Yoichi had told him that was normal. Apparently, omegas had a strong pack-dependency instinct that meant that they oftentimes felt flighty and restless without someone to tell them what to do. He was just learning to settle in with the rest of the squad, the omega reassured him. That feeling would disappear soon.

Mika wasn't too sure about that- as his progenitor, he had had a respect for Krul that couldn't compare to the so-called 'authority' this rabble of teenagers could stir up- but he couldn't exactly deny the truth behind Yoichi's statements, either. After all, he had spent almost all of his research on his own dynamic focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of an omega body. He didn't know nearly enough about his own psychology to deny the claims of an omega who grew up normal.

"Miiikaaa!"

Speak of the devil.

The vampire turned from his perch in the window and frowned as Yoichi came racing up the stairs to the apartment complex, running through the broken entryway so fast he clipped his shoulder on the remains of the door still hanging in place and tumbled to the ground, rolling a good three feet before he recovered. A banging noise from below, followed by a heavy panting, alerted Mika to the cause of his distress; he rolled his eyes and sighed in irritation as Yuu flopped through the door and Yoichi dived for his legs, hiding behind him like a frightened pup as the alpha growled and bared his teeth at him.

Mika cleared his throat and raised his eyebrow, and, with a yelp, Yuu scrambled up, giving Mika a sheepish grin. Mika's heart fluttered at the sight- Yuu was utterly _endearing_ when he was in trouble- but he kept his scolding glare carefully in place, knowing that Yoichi wouldn't stop trembling until Mika had found the root of the problem.

At least he wasn't trying to touch him. Training Yoichi out of trying to give him the same affection as the rest of the squad had been a procedure involving more fangs and hissing than he was sure they were comfortable with.

"And what, may I ask, is going on?" A pair of crossed arms ought to do the trick, and they did, Yuu gulping audibly at the movement. "I thought you were out searching for supplies."

"And we were!" Yuu protested, lifting his hands in a _what-can-you-do_ gesture. Mika tilted his head skeptically, but didn't interrupt. "We found a shitton of stuff- beer, canned pineapple, some weird gas masks from a costume shop- but then Yoichi found some fake fangs and thought they were funny, and, well- I got a little irritated."

Yuu scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Mika blinked in surprise, and Yoichi, still tucked firmly in the corner, made a soft squeaking noise Mika thought was supposed to be apologetic.

"Sorry, Mikaela," he murmured, meeting Mika's inquisitive stare with a shy glance of his own. "I thought maybe you could get a joke out of it."

"As if!" Yuu huffed and stormed over, ducking down between Mika's legs to glare at the omega behind them. Mika gripped the windowsill and cursed softly under his breath as he tipped, then kicked Yuu in the ribs with the side of his heel lightly to try to get him back up, a cue that the alpha either missed or chose to ignore. "What if you grew a pair of fangs and needed to suffer by on borrowed blood because some idiot left you behind to die? It's not _funny_ , Yoichi!"

The other omega's muttered 'sorry' went unnoticed as Mika stiffened and stared down at Yuu, heart pounding hard in his throat. The alpha was completely serious- Mika could see the tension in his back, the way he clenched his jaw as if in pain. He could scent the rage and commanding dominance in his scent, a powerful command meant to put Yoichi in place, to defend Mika's honor.

He still blamed himself for this mess. Mika's legs tightened minutely as a funny sensation fluttered in his stomach, sorrow mingled with something else, and, with a belated twinge of horror, remembered that omegas had scent glands on the inside of their thighs meant specifically to mark an alpha as theirs during their heat.

Oops.

He shoved Yuu backwards with one foot, the sound of his racing heart nearly masking the oblivious alpha's squawk of offense, and pressed his legs together, all-too aware of the tingle of warmth racing down his spine at the thought of him marking Yuu. He took a shuddering breath and glanced back at Yoichi, who gave him a worried, pitying look, then looked away, not wanting to come to terms with what had just happened.

Yuu was too busy rubbing his back and groaning to have noticed the slight rise in Mika's scent, but he knew that the omega under him had. Yoichi had stuck to him like glue since they'd met up despite Mika's protests- he would have to be noseblind to have missed a cue like that.

Mika took a deep, shuddering breath and gripped the windowsill underneath him tighter, not noticing when the rotting wood cracked under his hands.

 _Might as well diffuse this situation while I have the chance._

"Yoichi," he said calmly, forcing his racing heart to settle. "Give me those fangs."

"What?!" Yuu scrambled to his feet, bruised tailbone apparently forgotten. "Mika, I'm sorry, you don't have to play along with him, I should have grabbed them-"

Mika raised one eyebrow, then plucked the pack of cheap fake fangs from Yoichi's trembling fingers. He pulled a couple out, studied them silently, then, with Yuu's protests still ringing weakly in his ears, stuck them on.

The plastic triangles tasted horrible, and looked almost comical next to the gleaming-sharp points of his real fangs, but he still studied his reflection in the back of the packaging with exaggerated seriousness, angling his head this way and that to see them from all sides. He could feel Yoichi trembling with laughter underneath him, trying as hard as he could to suppress his giggles, even as Yuu's eyes widened with shock and surprised delight.

He hadn't teased anybody in a while. Mika felt something in his chest lighten, the familiar teasing spirit ghosting through him again, and, with a considering hum, he nodded slightly and gave the pack back.

"Horrible quality," he pronounced, lisping slightly. Six fangs were way harder to talk with than four. "There's no way these things can pierce flesh. No lower vestigial fangs, either. How to these people think they're going to hunt? With crossed fingers?" He tipped his head up in mockery of the ancient nobles and huffed, hooking both fake and real fangs over his bottom lip as he scowled. "It's like they didn't even know vampires existed at all."

Silence reigned for a few heartbeats.

Then, with a wheezing cough, Yuu started laughing. He doubled over, cackling madly, and Yoichi joined in with him, finally crawling out from behind Mika's protection so he could join Yuu, dumping the fake fangs back into the bags of carried supplies. Mika grinned, feeling the false teeth poke into his lower lip as he did so, and watched the two laugh with adoring eyes.

Yes, he still felt trapped, his restless energy not yet dissipated by the jest. But the sight of Yuu laughing and smiling, looking for all the world like war had never touched him, was enough.

"I heard something about vampires?" Shinoa popped her head into the room and grinned devilishly, an assortment of fancily-decorated pillows strapped to her back. Mitsuba shoved past her and rolled her eyes, setting down her bag full of canned foods next to Yuu's with a clang. "Did Yuu go off in a rage again, or did our dear Mika end up hanging from the ceiling fan again?"

Mika felt his ears burn with embarrassment and tugged at his hair to make sure they were properly hidden, glaring at Shinoa with undisguised menace. The ceiling-fan incident had been one of the most embarrassing moments in his life; once, when Narumi had tried to rouse him from his slumber, he had momentarily forgotten where he was and had jumped about fifteen feet in the air, draping him firmly over the huge fan rusted to the ceiling, which then proceeded to spin at full speed with him still clinging onto it. It had taken quite a bit of coaxing and quite a lot of laughing from Yuu to finally get him down- apparently he looked quite ridiculous when he hung from something like a great blonde bat, clicking and screeching like the terrified vampire he was.

It hadn't been his best moment, that was for sure.

He didn't realize he was baring his fangs until Shinoa took note of the two extra points in his mouth. She jumped, eyeing his teeth in surprise, then glanced between him and Yuu and grinned.

"What's this? Got tired of your pigstickers and decided to add a couple more?" She plucked the package of fake fangs from Yoichi's pile and rattled them teasingly, eyeing them like she was contemplating putting on a pair herself. "Trying to appease someone's biting kink without scaring them away with your great big vampire fangs, hmm~?"

She gave Yuu a sly glance when she said that, grinning for reasons that Mika wasn't quite sure he wanted to decipher.

"What're you looking at me like that for?" Yuu stood taller and puffed out his chest, obviously seeing her suggestive look as a challenge. Mika groaned and plucked the fake fangs off his lateral incisors, flicking them somewhere down to the streets below.

 _I'm surrounded by idiots._

Yoichi gave him a sympathetic glance and hurried out the door to aid Narumi and Kimizuki as they thumped up the stairs, obviously weighed down by the brunt of their search. Shinoa glanced back at him, then looked back at Yuu, who now had his fists up in the air and was hopping around like an excited rabbit, his pheromones thick with anticipation of a fight.

"Are you really that stupid?" The female alpha laughed and started to circle, her own scent sharpening in anticipation. Yuu growled, hot and angry, and the two fingers Mika had been using to pinch the bridge of his nose moved down, sealing off his nostrils as the pheromones of two roused alphas in the air thickened unbearably.

 _For fuck's sake._

It was only a half-effective gesture. While he couldn't scent them nearly as strongly as he could before, he could still hear the sound of their voices, the snarls and taunting bribes deepening their words until they rumbled in their chests, more animal than human. He could still _taste_ them, aggression and dominance tainting the air, and though he was still on suppressants, they were old and faded and already almost out of his system, and they did nothing to quell the fluttering desire in his chest and his stomach that urged him to _run_ , to taunt and tease the two alphas in front of him until they chased him and one of them (Mika knew all too clearly who) caught him and pinned him and-

He twisted abruptly and gasped out into the clear, cold air rushing by the open window, desperately trying to purge both his lungs and mind of the heat rushing through him.

...Maybe he could risk another vial tonight.

"Alright, alright, stop it already!" Mitsuba popped out of another room- where had she disappeared off to?- and slammed Shinoa against a wall, snarling in irritation. The sharp, neutral taint of a beta's calming scent permeated the air, diffusing the fog of alpha pheromones, and Mika turned back carefully, watching with steadily-mounting irritation as Narumi cuffed Yuu around the ears, ignoring the alpha's outraged shriek of pain. "It stinks in here! We're supposed to sleep in here, Shinoa, not watch as you and Yuu try to prove who's the most immature squadmate in the room!"

Shinoa blinked, then grinned flirtily at her, bracing herself up against the wall like she'd been planning being pinned all along. Mika snorted and dropped out of the windowsill, padding over so he could take over Narumi's place in calming a very angry Yuu. "Aww, but what would be the fun in that, Mitsu? Our resident idiot needs to know his place, after all. And he's the one who started it, not me."

Mitsuba's sharp remark went unnoticed. Mika was entirely focused on watching Yuu as he bickered and struggled with Narumi, not sure whether or not he should approach.

Narumi was older than him, and still smelled of displacement, his posture screaming how he was still not quite comfortable with being in this pack. But he was still more a part of Yuu's life and Mika's squad than Mika had been in their four years apart, and the familiarity with which he handled a squirming teenage alpha showed it.

The omega gulped and hovered silently in the shadows, fixing on the wrestling pair as he decided what to do. Narumi had Yuu by the ear and hadn't noticed Mika yet, far too focused on yelling at him to spot the omega vampire lingering someplace he obviously didn't want to be seen.

"We have omegas here, you idiot!" An empathetic shake and a squeak of pain from Yuu roused a snarl from Mika's throat, but it went unnoticed as Yuu continued to yowl in irritation, spluttering something about Shinoa asking for it. Narumi disregarded his excuses and responded by thickening his scent, his fully-developed beta pheromones able to neutralize Yuu's young alpha scent. "Do you _want_ to set one of them off into a heat? Suppressants only do so much when you're flashing around your dominance, you know. Do you _want_ our archer incapacitated because you didn't know how to pick your battles? How about your vampire friend, huh? What's his name- Mikaela? He's _barely_ medicated. The _last_ thing we need is for something like that to go into heat, especially when we have _no way to restrain him_."

Yuu blinked up at him, suddenly concerned. Mika could see the way realization and slight panic dawned on his face as he processed Narumi's words, the responsibility of his actions finally weighing on him.

That was the last straw.

Mika pushed into the space between the alpha and the beta, growling possessively. He could hear his heart beat harder in his chest, a harsh, throbbing rhythm both spurred by the fear of Yuu being burdened with the thought of triggering his heat and with the instinctual panic that came from challenging a higher dynamic.

Narumi dropped Yuu like he was poison and backed away, disgust twisting his face as Mika flashed his fangs at him. Yuu stumbled, and Mika caught him, barely moving as the alpha's full weight crashed up against him.

Yuu blinked up at him, concerned, but Mika didn't move. He was too focused on the tension trembling through his body as he stood his ground, eyes locked with Narumi's coldly inquisitive stare, trying to ignore how every instinct in his body screamed at him to back down.

 _Don't tell him what he doesn't need to know. He doesn't need to worry about things that he shouldn't be forced to care about._

"...Tch." Narumi broke his gaze and looked out the window, obviously uncomfortable with the intensity behind Mika's glare. "I stand corrected. It's a miracle he hasn't gone into heat already."

The beta stalked off, moving back to the middle of the room to work on sorting through their gathered supplies. Yuu watched him go, confused, and let Mika help him balance once it became apparent that his struggles had half-kicked off one of his boots.

"...What was that for?" Yuu tugged his boot back into place and massaged his ear, wincing slightly. Mika watched as he slid white-gloved fingers along the side of his neck and swallowed hard, trying to focus on the way Yuu was frowning instead of the way his blood pulsed through his veins.

It didn't work very well. Yuu's lips looked extremely kissable when they were pouted like that.

"It's nothing." Mika's voice came out harsher than expected, but he ignored it; it concealed the mess of emotions and panic that were still stirring under his skin. "He thinks he knows the bodies of omegas better than we do."

Yuu frowned at him, saddened by the bitterness in his tone, but didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned to the side and bumped Mika's shoulder with his, completely oblivious to the way the friendly touch sent a cascade of nervous sparks down his best friend's spine.

 _Breathe, Mika. You're used to Yuu touching you. You did it all the time. Now's not any different-_

Yuu smiled at him gently.

 _...Dammit._

"Hey, wanna help sort out canned goods with us?" Yuu didn't wait for an answer; he was already tugging Mika along with him, one hand on his back guiding him forward. "You may have different...dietary concerns, but you're better at checking expiration dates than I am! The stupid fine print gets me everytime."

Warm affection overtook the nervous jitters, and Mika smiled back at the alpha guiding him, amused and slightly exasperated by his educational shortcomings. Typical Yuu, too busy focusing on fighting to worry about enhancing his reading skills.

Mika found he didn't quite mind. Someone had to be the smart one, after all.

"How did you pass your exams, again?" Mika plucked one of Shinoa's decorative pillows off the pile and thwapped Yuu with it, grinning at the startled _"_ _Mmmph!"_ it got him. "You idiot. You can't defeat us until you're well-versed in Latin and whatever other nonsense language we've dreamed up, that's a rule."

"He didn't!" Shinoa hollered gleefully, still being chocked by Mitsuba. The alpha looked like she was fully enjoying herself, kicking playfully at the beta's legs in an attempt to tangle them together and knock them down. "He failed all his exams! Perfect zeros! Most impressive thing I've seen in a while!"

Mika turned to Yuu and gave him a mock-disappointed look, swinging the pillow between them contemplatively.

Yuu gulped.

And then, in a heartbeat, he was off, crashing through the carefully-constructed pyramid of goods between Narumi and Kimizuki in a mad dash for the door. Both alpha and beta turned to yell at him, Yoichi jumping out of his way as he passed, but it only took one bound for Mika to clear the chaos, slipping through the ruined doorway as silent as a shadow.

Shinoa cackled madly from behind them as he dashed out into the hallway.

Yuu's panicked gasps were laced with laughter as he leapt down the staircase to the ground below, throwing a taunting look up to where Mika perched on the rail, watching him fondly. He grinned, his mouth forming the shape of the words of his call- the sound lost in the thud of his boots over the concrete- a quick _'_ _try to catch me, Mika!'_ thrown to the omega steadily descending the staircase towards him.

And then he was gone, disappeared into the maze of rubble, leaving only the thud of his boots and the faint trail of his scent behind him.

Mika smiled, then took the bait and broke out into a run, chasing him down.

 _Oh, I'll catch you for sure, you stupid sweet idiot of an alpha._


	10. Chapter 10

Yuuichirou knew he was fucked the moment he ran into the hallways.

First, the apartment was a literal mess of rubble on the lower floors, which made navigation difficult. Second, the dust and the winding vines from the ruined gardens made everything look _exactly the same_ , which was just fucking _rude_ considering just how lost he knew he now was.

There was the ringing thump-thump-thump of boots on concrete from behind him, easily keeping pace with him. Yuu bit his lip and ran faster, heartbeat ringing in his ears as he dodged broken ceiling pipes and jumped over old furniture.

Third, he was being chased by Mika. _Mika._ His childhood friend, (who was very much not dead and very much a vampire) who knew everything about him and had beat him in countless mind games like this, where speed wasn't so much the key as it was outsmarting the opponent- something that Yuu was never really good at in the first place. He was a think-before-you act kind of guy, which had helped him in the vampire city and on the battlefield almost as many times as it had gotten him in trouble.

Almost.

He was pretty sure that starting this stupid game would end with him being teased and humiliated in some way that the rest of the squad would never let him live down. Mika was pretty creative.

Yuu tripped over a brick and swore angrily under his breath, then turned sharply to the left, scrambling frantically over a half-crumbled wall into what looked to be a dark storage room.

There wasn't much in here- just some rusted metal shelves and a shitton of rubble- but the biggest downfall of Yuu's gamble was that there was no exit. His stomach dropped, a moment of sheer panic overtaking him, and looked around frantically for a hiding spot.

Shit. _Shit._

He was pretty sure he would have been safe in here, but it looked like he was wrong. There was no way that Mika would miss his detour; his scent trail was too fresh for that, and his goddamn superspeed meant that he hadn't been too far behind him.

In fact, now that he thought of it, weren't omegas supposed to be faster than alphas because of that mating run thing? Yuu was pretty sure he'd remembered Guren telling him not to chase any omegas when he'd been given The Talk, but his memory of it was fuzzy. He did know that he'd never been able to keep pace with Yoichi during training no matter how much he exercised, though, so it was probably true.

...The memory of those losses still stung.

Ah, whatever. Even without his dynamic, Mika was a vampire now. There was no way he would have been able to beat him in a race anyways- in fact, now that he thought of it, he'd probably been humoring him all this time.

Yuu grumbled a few words that would've earned him a punch from Guren and set to work hiding himself behind the rubble.

He hid well- army training gave him an advantage, after all- but it stung. Now that he was trapped, his inner alpha had awakened, his fight-or-flight response locking firmly onto 'fight'. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to turn around and run straight at the apex predator stalking him in the hallway, urges to _fight intimidate scare away_ sending hot pulses of adrenaline through his blood.

 _Fucking hell._

Yuu gritted his teeth and crouched lower behind the pile of cracked concrete blocks he'd chosen to hide behind. The alpha within him was raging, despising sitting still when there was a challenger at hand, but he did his best to ignore it, focusing instead on the distant sound of vampire boots stalking closer and closer to where he was hiding.

And it _was_ stalking. Mika's footsteps had long slowed from a run to a languid, unhurried walk, the tap of his heels lighter and fainter than Yuu had expected. He could hear Mika strolling from room to room, with little pauses interspersed in between as he peered into rooms.

 _Shit fucking dammit-_

Yuu could almost _see_ the gloating look on his face, and a familiar panicked frustration welled up in him, a feeling that he hadn't experienced since the last time he had played hide-and-chase with his family. It was as bittersweet as it was euphorically terrifying; as Yuu waited for Mika to find him with bated breath, he remembered, belatedly, that Mika probably still remembered his tickle spots.

 _-Goddammit-_

Mika's footsteps rang louder then paused, right at the entryway to the storage room.

Yuu's mind blanked.

 _Should he try to run? No, there was no way around him. Maybe he could jump on him? No, Mika was too fast and too strong..._

There was a swish of fabric and a light _tap._ Yuu tensed, some long-buried animal part of his brain recognizing that the vampire had jumped through the hole rather than climb over it, like any human would.

 _Gotta fight gotta fight gotta fight he's going to find me-_

With Mika this close, Yuu could smell the amusement and pride in his scent, something sharp and predatory underlying the sweetness and mischief. He heard a slight intake of breath and a sigh, and knew in his gut that Mika had scented him as well, everything in his body buzzing and ready to fight, his senses sharpening with anticipation.

 _Should I-_

"I know you're in here, Yuu." Mika's voice echoed hollowly around the storage room, reflecting strangely off the twisted metal shelves. Something in Yuu's stomach flipped- even after three weeks of talking to him, the sweet huskiness of Mika's adult voice still threw him off. Yuu chalked it down to still being in shock over him being alive and mature and didn't react. "Come on, I won. Give it up already."

A pause. Yuu felt fury and panic rise in his chest- his inner alpha smarting at the acknowledgement of his defeat, the logical side of his mind registering the trap that Mika was laying out for him.

Oh, that little _shithead._

Mika let out an amused chuckle, a sound that rang warning bells in Yuu's mind, and started to prowl around the room.

"Hmm, I wonder..." The corner of a white cloak fluttered into view, and Yuu scrambled back, watching with bated breath as Mika prodded behind the shelves with the tip of his sword. From here, he could clearly see the faint line of Mika's smile as the vampire playfully flicked his sword through years-old dust, sending it into the air with a slight cough. "Nope."

He sheathed his sword, then turned and crossed the room, Yuu shuffling back to keep out of sight, and nudged a moldy box to the side. "Not here either."

He turned and looked past Yuu's hiding spot, ice-blue eyes gleaming in the dim light. Yuu forced himself to sit as still as possible, something in his chest fluttering at the knowing, mischievous grin on Mika's face.

Oh, he was _so_ fucked.

"You do realize I'm trying to humor you, right?" Mika tilted his head, bangs framing his face in a halo of pale gold. Yuu swallowed hard, heart racing, and settled in a low crouch as the omega began to walk closer. "You're not exactly the best at hiding your scent, you know. I'd know it was you from a mile away."

Mika's fingers flexed, as if readying themselves for a grab-or something else.

Yuu gulped.

 _He's gonna get me._

 _...Fuck._

That settled it.

Yuu felt a rush of adrenaline course through him as he burst out of from behind the pile of concrete, screaming out what he hoped was a convincing war-cry. Mika paused briefly, eyes widening at the sudden noise, then ducked out of the way, avoiding the wild swipe Yuu made as he passed.

Yuu crashed hard into the wall, growling as sharp pain spiked up his arm. It faded quickly, demon-enhanced healing reducing it to a dull ache in seconds, but that paled in comparison to the horror he felt when his legs were knocked out from under him, body swooping upward into Mika's arms as he shrieked.

NO FUCK-

"Got you." Mika's voice was a whisper as he adjusted Yuu's weight in his arms, smirking. Yuu shivered as his breath ghosted against the shell of his ear, indignation fading as he breathed in Mika's sweet scent, so warm and comforting and nostalgic and calming.

...Was his scent always this...potent? Yuu remembered staying up late at night missing the comfort of Mika's presence when he was giving blood for them, but he could also remember the taint of the underground lingering on him everytime Mika finally crawled into bed to sleep. Maybe that had helped shield it a bit, but Yuu still couldn't remember being this affected by an omega's pheromones, ever.

...It was probably because he was still reeling from the fact that Mika was alive. Even now, safely secured in his arms, it almost felt like a fever dream, something that you wished for so strongly that your mind hallucinated it to try to keep you happy.

"You really need to work on your hiding skills." Mika turned and began to walk out, and Yuu blinked back into focus, looping an arm around Mika's neck as the vampire stepped up and out into the main hallway, movements fluid and graceful even with the extra burden in his arms. "That was so easy it was kind of ridiculous."

Yuu huffed, indignant, and jabbed Mika lightly under the chin, feeling a rush of satisfaction when the omega let out a surprised cough and looked at him. "You're the one with the super senses, you dick! I bet I hide better than anyone else in this goddamned squad, you're just cheating because you're a vampire now."

The look Mika gave him was amused, but had a hint of pain in it. Yuu's smile dropped, a sick feeling rising in his stomach when he realized he might have gone too far.

 _Why did I have to bring up his vampirism goddamit-_

There was another shift, and then fingertips jabbed hard into his side, tickling him mercilessly. Yuu shrieked and nearly overbalanced Mika as he writhed, but the omega held him tight, abolishing any chances of him getting away. Yuu howled with laughter, thumping Mika on the chest to try to get him off, but the tickling didn't stop until they reached the stairs and Mika had a harder time keeping balance with a squirming, screaming alpha in his arms.

"No," Mika mused, tapping a finger lightly against Yuu's side. "I think you're just childish. You wanted me to catch you, and I did, because _obviously_ somebody forgot that the worse thing to do when challenging a vampire is to run away."

Yuu's breath came in rasping gasps as he sucked in air, stomach aching from laughing. Mika's smile had disappeared, but those sky-blue eyes were still sparkling, something warm and affectionate shining in them as he looked at Yuu.

Yuu's stomach did that funny flip thing again (he was probably either getting motion sickness or a stomach infection, he'd take some medicine for that later), but it didn't stop him from reaching up to ruffle Mika's hair in a silent acknowledgement of his mistake, laughing deviously at the foul look Mika sent him before his bangs covered his eyes.

"Yuu, do you want me to drop you?" The vampire made an exaggerated stumble, smiling slightly when Yuu yelped and clung to him. "Because you sure are asking for it."

That bastard could still see, Yuu knew- he could see a flash of blue from under that mess of hair- but he played along anyways, bumping Mika's collar with the side of his head as he readjusted his position so that he was tucked more securely against Mika's side. "You ass. I know you're not going to drop me. Aren't you the great and wonderful Mikaela? If you can't take a little teasing then maybe you should reconsider that title, you know."

Mika's breath hitched in his throat. He was probably completely done with his shit, but Yuu was more than pleased with their banter. It had been so long since they'd talked like this; even during the three weeks they've had together so far, they'd rarely had time to sit and chat, too focused on finding a stable place to set down and gather supplies to bother with it.

Yuu was pretty sure that Mika had been too tense to do so anyways- he could tell he still didn't trust anyone around them. There was something about him now that screamed fear and pain and mistrust, something wholly different from the little boy Yuuichirou used to know. It had been almost jarring, to see Mika act like a frightened animal- hissing, skirting away from helping hands and kind words, staying close by Yuu's side everywhere they went- but Yuu couldn't blame him. He would have to be blind to see the way Mika would swallow hard every time one of them got injured, the way two sharp pinpricks would gleam everytime his mouth opened, the way he would veer away from the demon weapons everytime they were unsheathed or the demons were awakened.

Mika was different now. He had changed. Something horrible had happened to him in those four years locked away in the vampire city, and it hurt Yuu's heart to think about all the _what-ifs_ and _could-have-been_ and _maybe's_ that swirled through his mind when he thought about what had happened when he left him behind. It was stupid, he knew- Mika would have died back there anyways, there was no way any human could survive those wounds- but there'd still been a chance. He could have stopped him from fighting Ferid, he could have bound his wounds so they wouldn't have bled as much, he could have done _something_ differently that wouldn't have resulted in the pained mess that Mika was today.

Mika had still been alive when he'd turned his back on him and left. He'd failed to protect his family.

 _Don't focus on what happened on the past, idiot. He's alive. Be grateful that he's still with you now instead of a corpse underneath Sanguinem's floors._

Yuu pressed his face to Mika's collarbone and breathed deeply, inhaling his scent. The pheromones of a nearly fully-matured omega hit him, that sweet, alluring scent mixed with the underlying musk that Yuu now knew was Mika's identifier- the pheromones that were unique to him alone, that stated who he was and what he was feeling and who he was bonded to.

He smelled like home. Yuu gripped him tighter, a fierce, protective urge welling up in him- the urge to keep the omega holding him safe and happy and untouched, free to smile and laugh no matter how hopeless their world was.

 _I'm not losing you again._

"Destination reached." Mika's long, swinging steps stopped, and, with surprising gentleness, he dropped Yuu, making sure that the alpha was jarred without getting hurt as he hit the ground. Yuu glared anyways, but there was no heat to it, head still reeling with pheromones and instincts and emotions that he didn't have a name to.

Mika's gaze lingered on him a heartbeat longer, then he turned and kicked the rotted door to their apartment open, marching inside without another word. Yuu blinked, then followed him, wincing at the startled shrieks that were echoing around the room at their entry.

...Eh. It probably was just motion sickness, after all. Or possibly indigestion, if the way his heart was thudding painfully in his chest was any indication.

.

.

.

Yuu regretted walking back in.

Apparently, omegas had scent glands on their collarbone or something, because Shinoa would not leave the fact that he smelled like Mika alone for _one goddamned second_. He hadn't noticed it- Mika's scent on him was normal and how it should be, for all he was concerned- but for _some fucking reason_ it was all that Shinoa would focus on, _the entire fucking evening_.

Why couldn't he have just dragged Mika along on another patrol instead of coming back to _this_? He should have known that they would be insufferable about their antics. Yuu had already faced a round of teasing from Narumi and Kimizuki once Mika had told them that he had won their little game instead of Yuu. This was just extra.

The purple-haired alpha laughed at yet another one of her jokes, and Yuu glared at her, not even bothering to hide his irritation at this point. It only encouraged her, and she leaned over to rest on his lap yet again, swiping playfully at his nose like a cat.

"Oh, but you have to admit it's hilarious, Yuu!" She wiped a tear from her eye, exaggerating the motion so it could be seen across the room. Mitsuba rolled her eyes, but didn't pause her attempts to open up six cans of soup so they could have dinner.

Yuu sent her a pleading look, but it passed by her, unnoticed. To his left, Kimizuki rolled his eyes.

Two pinpricks of blue light glared out from the corner where Mika lingered, murderous gaze fixated on the alpha in Yuu's lap. Yuu glanced at him, but waved it off. Mika always looked murderous when Shinoa was around. It must have had something to do with how obnoxious she was.

"It sounds like some love story." Shinoa threw a hand over her eyes and flopped dramatically, grinning all the while. "Two long-lost friends meet again after four years, yearning for each other, sneaking away when no one's looking so that they can reconnect, not realizing the strength of their bond now runs deeper than the fragile friendship they still have left-"

Yuu finally had enough. He shoved her off his lap, growling in irritation, and stalked away before he would be tempted to start another fight with her, tantalizing though it was.

 _Idiot. Making assumptions about Mika and I just because we're close, just because I'm an alpha and he's an omega._

Mika watched him as he settled down next to Mitsuba to help her with the cans, his white-gloved fingers idly playing on the hilt of his sword as Yuu glanced at him. Without asking, he stood and padded silently over to him, a silent, reassuring presence by his side as Yuu fumed under his breath. Mitsuba gave him a wary glance, but didn't say anything, chucking a can at Shinoa instead and screaming at her to quiet down when the alpha's snickering increased in volume, obviously amused by what was going on in front of her.

 _What grounds does she have to tease me like that anyways?_

Yuu sighed and rested his head against Mika's shoulder, calmed by him being there. Mika rubbed gently at his back and took the can from Yuu's hands as he fiddled with it, turning it over to reveal a pull tab on the opposite side of it.

Yuu's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he snatched the can from Mika with a moody grumble, too hungry to bother with complaining about Mika's common sense, or the way that the light of the rising moon complimented Mika's eyes perfectly as the omega smiled at him, pleased with Yuu's indignation.

 _Obviously, she's just making stuff up. Friends-to-lovers, my ass._


	11. Chapter 11

Yuu's sleeping patterns hadn't changed much over the four years they've been separated.

Mika wrinkled his nose and shoved an arm out of his face, wriggling slightly so Yuu's weight wasn't resting on his stomach. The alpha grunted in his sleep as he was jostled, then turned and flopped over him so his head was resting soundly on Mika's chest, arms circling his neck with a contented sigh.

Mika blinked, then accepted his fate, cheeks warming at the sight of Yuu's sleeping face so close to his own. Yuu was smiling slightly, silhouetted in the light of the dying moon, a soft, gentle expression that Mika had rarely ever saw when Yuu was awake.

 _Except for when he looks at me._

He turned his head up to look at the ceiling, heart racing. Focusing on the lichen- stained plaster was much easier on his emotions instead of the images flashing through his head, a slideshow of all the times that Yuu had smiled at him since they were reunited; times that Mika, of course, had memorized perfectly.

He couldn't help himself. When they were younger, it was rare to see Yuu smile at all, and when he did, it was usually at the prospect of killing vampires- a bloodthirsty grin taunt with anger and hatred, not one of love. Now, it was commonplace, and Mika was still caught off guard with just how affectionate Yuu was, a complete turnaround from his younger self.

It had been Yuu who demanded they sleep together, clearly longing for some semblance of what they had before they were separated. Mika had complied, not having the heart to explain to him that he no longer slept normally- but it wasn't until Yuu had rolled out his sleeping bag and had clung to him like a drowning man that he realized just how much he had missed him, as well as just how unused he was to physical content after four years without it.

Mika hadn't rested at all that night, too focused on the nervous energy buzzing under his skin.

Yuu snored quietly and shifted again, nuzzling lightly at Mika's collarbones. The omega looked down at him and smiled, unable to help himself, and ran a hand through Yuu's messy black locks, his smile widening as Yuu leaned into the touch.

 _I wish I had a camera._

There was a rustle from the doorway, and Mika withdrew his hand and closed his eyes as Mitsuba walked in, eyes unfocused with lack of sleep. He heard her walk to the outer circle and shake Narumi awake, then opened his eyes again as the other beta got up and walked over to the door to start his guard shift.

The older soldier hadn't been sleeping. Mika could tell by the beat of his heart, the way his shoulders were tensed, like they had been held in that position for a while. The omega watched him, eyes narrowed, but Narumi never looked at him, and it wasn't until he saw a glimmer of silver slip down the beta's cheek that he looked away.

 _Oh._

Mika stared at the floor, thoroughly uncomfortable with seeing Narumi's vulnerable side, then wriggled a little lower into the sleeping bag so he could bury his face in Yuu's hair, blocking out the faint traces of the betas grief-scent with Yuu's calming musk.

Yuu shifted, twisting a little to the side to adjust.

The movement brought his neck closer to Mika's face, baring his scent glands and pulse point. Mika felt dry heat scorch the back of his throat, stronger than the lingering pain from the day earlier, and, with a jolt of fear, he scrambled backwards, clutching his throat as he panted.

Yuu turned away again, concealing his neck, but it didn't help Mika at all. His thirst still burned him, his body shooting sharp needles of pain through his veins as it warned him of just how much he needed blood. He could feel his heart beating unevenly, every molecule in his body vibrating, like at any second he was going to fly apart and disperse into dust drifting on the wind.

He wasn't made to stay like this; some freakish halfling of human and vampire. He knew that, was always aware of it somewhere in the back of his mind, but he had always pushed it down to deal with later. It wasn't until times like this, where his thirst was prevailing and he once again became aware of just how badly he was starving himself, that his reality became all too real once again.

He pushed Yuu back with shaking hands and stood up, trying not to jostle him more than he already was. Yuu grumbled in annoyance, but stayed asleep; Mika breathed a quiet thanks to whatever gods above that Yuu didn't see him like this and stumbled over to the corner where they held their supplies.

Narumi looked up and watched him, eyes agleam. Mika returned his wary look with a hostile glare of his own and pulled his satchel from the pile, the vials inside clinking together as he undid the latch with trembling fingers.

His heart sank.

There were only three vials left with blood in them; one of them was already half-empty, the blood from it taken after a fight with a particularly nasty Horseman.

He'd been as careful about his intake as possible, but it apparently wasn't enough. Mika stared at the vials, dread coiling in his stomach, then grabbed the half-empty one and downed it in one go.

The medication in the blood burned like poison on his tongue, the vampire in him protesting the taint of the suppressant pills in his food. Mika closed his eyes and waited for relief, ignoring the bitterness.

It never came.

A wall of panic slammed into Mika's mind, and he let out a ragged gasp, staring at the empty container in his hand with fear and betrayal. Krul's blood _always_ satisfied him; why would it fail him? Why, why now?

Something whispered in the back of his mind; Krul's voice, warning him of what was bound to be.

 _"_ _The day that you will have to drink human blood will come soon."_

 _Fuck._

Mika turned and threw the glass vial out the window as hard as he could, fear and frustration burning in his chest. The pain in him had cooled slightly, some part of him soothed by the vampire queen's blood, but he was too frantic to be reassured by it, the shiver of hunger still lingering in his mind hurting him more than any wound on his physical body.

Narumi jumped to his feet, obviously alarmed, but Mika ignored him. He ducked his head and rushed out, swallowing painfully at the sound of the beta's racing heartbeat, not caring when the force of him leaving knocked Narumi back against the wall.

"Wait!" The older beta grabbed at his arm, slowing him. Mika glared at him, desperation burning in his eyes, but Narumi wasn't intimidated enough to let go of him.

"Out." Mika yanked his arm out of his grasp and turned, not enough willpower left in him to try to meet the beta's eyes. "I'll be back. Don't come after me."

Narumi growled, obviously displeased with letting Mika out of his sight, but Mika didn't care. He swung out over the railing on the apartment's stairway and dropped down to the ground below, racing out into the cool air of the early morning before the starving haze in his mind tempted him to go back.

.

.

.

The chill in the air sobered him quickly.

Mika wandered along the broken streets of the city, following a path that he had carved out when they took the apartment as a resting place. The heat of the rising sun burned on his cheeks, hot and painful even with the aid of his sunguard, and he turned to look at it, the pale yellow light setting a steady throb behind his eyes as he stared into its depths.

It hurt. It hurt like hell, and some part of him chastised himself for it, warned him that he would be blinded from it, but he ignored it, refusing to look away.

 _I deserve this pain. I deserve all of it._

Black clouded the edge of his vision, black edged with red. Mika grit his teeth and finally looked away, frustration singing through his mind when the instinctual pain overcame the sickness in his heart.

His eyes healed almost instantly. Mika bit down hard on his bottom lip, tearing it open as he punished himself for not having the courage to blind himself, his own venom sending a wave of lightheadedness through his mind as lukewarm blood gushed down his chin.

Red dripped against white pavement, a sharp reminder to what ruled his life and his desires. Mika glared at it and withdrew his fangs from his lip, suddenly sick of the taste of copper and salt in his mouth, sick of seeing red, sick of everything that made himself what he was now.

 _I almost killed them._

Another shiver wracked through him, reminding him of warmth and a room full of beating heartbeats. He didn't realize just how close he came to attacking until now, alone and chilled through; the anxiety from the realization of how low he was on Krul's blood had masked the predatory part of himself from his waking mind. Now, with Yuu's warmth long lost to the cold and the muted, rotting smells of a dead city overtaking the scents of living bodies, he was all too aware of how ready he had been to kill.

Mika staggered over to a streetlight and banged his head against of it, welcoming the way the jolt of pain distracted himself from his thoughts.

 _I can't think of that now. I can't-_

He looked up to the still-grey sky and took a series of deep breaths, gulping in the cool air like a drowning man. The cold didn't bite him, but he welcomed the chill, the way the air in his lungs made him feel as cold on the inside as he did on the outside, like a corpse that had never been laid to rest.

 _As I should be._

And yet... there was no escape for him, not even in death. He would run out of Krul's blood soon, and then the starvation would take him, either burning him away to become a demon or setting him into a cycle of never-ending pain, his body struggling to regenerate itself as he died again and again, running lower on fuel with every new burst of false life.

That is, if the lingering traces of humanity in him didn't grant him an actual death. Mika hoped against hope that whatever part of him that was still human overrode the vampire and let him rest peacefully, not damn him to another eternity of pain and suffering.

Yuu's smiling face rose to the forefront of his mind, sending a pang of grief and guilt through his chest. To be separated again after so little time together, this time permanently, was cruel. Yuu would be devastated, he knew; and yet, Mika knew, in some disparaging part of his mind, that Yuu would ultimately be better off without him. Mika was nothing but a ghost of a past that never should have happened, a caricature of a monster Yuu hated the most wearing the face of his best friend.

It would hurt to lose him again, but Yuu was strong. He would adapt.

...But he also needed guidance, and they still weren't out of the clutches of the JIDA just yet. If Mika died before he could lead him somewhere safe, then they were bound to turn him into something much worse than a vampire.

Mika hissed, clutching his chest, right above his still-beating heart. That sick feeling returned in full force, mixed with the same whimsical longing that plagued him everyday, every time he thought of Yuu.

 _I don't want to hurt him._

 _Fuck._

 _I don't want to lose him._

He wiped the tears forming in his eyes- when did that happen?- and shut them tight, taking in a long, shuddering breath. He would cross that bridge when he got there; for now, he was safe.

 _Focus on something else. Scout the territory. Look for any information about the state of the vampire hierarchy._

Mika set his shoulders and drew his sword, watching the way the sunlight glimmered off the cool steel. He could sense the power and the ancient magic humming through it, a well of killing power lying dormant under the surface, perfect for killing vampires and humans alike.

If the starvation became too bad, he would be able to kill himself without making himself a danger to others.

Mika swallowed painfully, sheathed his sword, then took a running leap onto the windowsill of a ruined building, bounding from the newly-acquired perch to the rooftop of a precariously-leaning skyscraper.

His actions were supernatural and distinctly inhuman; he could feel the way his joints clicked and bent in ways they were not originally supposed to when he landed, cushioning his weight so his flight was soundless. His eyesight was predator-sharp; he could see the distant horizon of the city in overwhelming clarity. When he misjudged his jump and slammed into a wall, the impact didn't hurt, and the bones he broke when he fell healed before he could register the pain.

Mika didn't think. He ran, he followed the faint trail of his own scent, and he breathed.

He lived.

The sound of groaning joints and insectile carapaces clicking against pavement reverberated from a few blocks away, and he chased it, fighting down the instincts telling him to avoid it. He breathed, and he drew his sword, and the vines dug into his wrist and twined through his veins and he slashed the monsters roaming the streets to pieces before they could register his presence.

Hot blood rained down on him, thick and disgusting, and he let it. It was gross, but it concealed his scent, and the feeling of it on his skin- the way it burned, the last fleeting traces of a living being- reminded him that he was still here. He could still feel heat, muted though it was. He wasn't dead yet. His body hadn't given out on him yet. He was allowed to enjoy feeling alive. He was allowed to be here, at least for now.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

The sound of trees rustling and two pairs of vampiric-style boots hitting the ground echoed from behind him.

Mika didn't react to their presence, though he had a good idea of just what he was about to face. Now that the blood from the Horsemen had cooled, he could smell the reek of the underground emanating from the vampires behind him, stronger than their dynamic identifiers. It was the smell of ancient books and earth that had never seen the sun, the smell of old caves and long-dead bodies rotting in pits no man had dared to venture into.

Instead, he stood straighter, shook the blood from his sword, and sheathed it, letting the bloodsuckers behind him see the glow of power pulsing from it before the blade slid out of view. That nagging itch below his skin was back, an ancient instinct alerting him to the presence of more of his kind, intruders in his territory that the vampire within him didn't take kindly to.

A haughty glance over his shoulder confirmed his suspicions. Two lesser nobles stood behind him, maggot-pale under their dark hair, enchanted jewelry gleaming in the sunlight. They stood a polite distance away, but Mika wasn't fooled by their etiquette; he could see the fangs hooked over their lip as they smiled at him, a subtle note of hostility mixed into their otherwise-welcoming demeanor.

He couldn't tell what their dynamics were, but they didn't look bulky enough to be alphas, and they didn't have the slim, elegant frame of an omega. If he was to guess, he would put them as betas, but his judgement only soured his mood further. He could deal with an alpha's condescending attitude and an omega's tendency to snap at what they didn't like; he was not in the mood to deal with a beta's mindgames, which he was sure were to be amplified by the arrogance of their rank in the vampire courts.

"Nothing of importance to you," he replied coldly, flicking a stream of monster blood out of his eyes as he turned to address them. Hopefully the blood matting his hair and his uniform would disguise his scent; he had been widely rumored about in Sanguinem due to the rarity of his dynamic. "I was bored, and these monsters happened to be in my way. Nothing more."

The taller one tipped his head to the side and smirked, obviously not buying his story. He had a goatee. Mika was already itching to rip it off his face. "Oh, that's not what we were wondering about. What we were curious about was you. I don't recall hearing about the deployment of a soldier with the demeanor of a progenitor in this area."

 _Fuck._

Mika glared at him, but kept his expression cool, not letting his irritation slip by him. He thought that the combination of his lower-ranking uniform with his attitude would give them the impression that he was far more dangerous than he appeared, but that apparently hadn't worked at all.

A cold feeling of apprehension seeped into his gut, doubt rising in his mind. He narrowed his eyes and studied the faces of the nobles, but they yielded nothing but cool, detached amusement.

 _Are they looking for me, specifically?_

"I doubt you would have." Mika's suspicion rose as they exchanged a knowing glance, but he remained impassive. Showing emotion in front of these two would be a mistake; vampire nobles flocked to social weakness like piranhas to a dying fish. "My location and missions are not to be disclosed to the general public."

That stung them. Mika could see the way their grins faltered, the way an annoyed gleam shone in their eyes as they fought to maintain their posture. The lower-rankers were always so easy to piss off; if he kept wearing them down, perhaps he would be able to force them to disclose more information than they realized before he cut them down.

But then they smirked, as if realizing something, and Mika's heart sank again.

"Oh, yes, I believe we've heard about you." The shorter beta stepped forward, into Mika's radius of personal space. The omega glared at him, curling his lip slightly in warning, but the beta paid no heed. "What's your dynamic, vampire? I don't want to mistake you for the fabled court omega now, wouldn't I?"

Another step forward, and Mika snapped his fangs together, hissing softly under his breath. The beta paused, heeding the warning, but the smug expression on his face didn't change.

Fucking bastard.

"Isn't it obvious, Slaine?" The larger beta walked up to his accomplice and tilted his head, studying Mika's eyes with a leisurely smile. "Have you seen his eyes? They're blue. Completely blue."

Mika tensed, hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. Slaine glanced at him, suspicion briefly flashing in his eyes, but the other noble kept talking, diverting his attention from Mika's hostility.

"Now, what do we know about omega vampires?" The beta began to circle Mika, eyes traveling up and down his frame. Slaine followed his lead, and Mika felt a spark of alarm shoot through them, knowing that he wouldn't be able to block them when they entered his blind spot. "Their eyes turn back when they're either thirsty, or approaching their heat. But their heats stop once their mate dies, do they not? And this omega doesn't smell of heat."

Slaine's pacing brought him out of Mika's line of vision. The omega turned his head to watch him, but was forced to twist and snap at the speaking vampire when he felt air ghost across his neck, a missed attempt to scruff him.

The goateed vampire smirked at his aggression, then began to pace again. "Now then, Slaine, what do we know about the omegas in our ranks? Especially one omega, who has never been seen drinking blood, and who is rumored to always have eyes as bright and blue as the sky?"

"We know one omega, Mark." Slaine smirked at Mika, and, with his heart pounding and a snarl rising in his throat, the omega drew his sword. "An omega _particularly_ loved by the queen, that is."

 _Fuck, they're here to hunt me-!_

"That's right." Mark drew a rapier and pointed it at Mika's chest, lips sliding back from his fangs in a deathly grin. "We're here for _you_ , Mikaela Hyakuya."


	12. Chapter 12

_Damn._

 _Damn._

 _Damn it all to hell!_

Mark leapt forward, slicing his sword at Mika's legs, an attack that the omega dodged easily but still alarmed him. Slaine circled around the back, a short sword gleaming in the light as he turned the flat of the blade against him, but Mika still managed to avoid it, despite the flash of silver arcing back at his chest.

These vampires were obviously more skilled than the commoners he had sparred with before, taught to capture targets rather than just kill them. Mika could tell that their blows were specially designed to disable him, the realization of their intent sending chills racing down his spine.

 _Damn them!_

"Hmm, you're surprisingly fast for a thirst-ridden fledgling." Mark appeared before him again, one eyebrow arched as he looked him up and down. Mika let out a deep, rattling hiss, a sound that promised death to all that crossed him, but all it earned was a laugh. "Dear me, you are _pissed_ , aren't you? No matter, you'll cool off once we manage to subdue you."

 _Subdue me-?_

That sparked Mika's temper, hot outrage at the thought of being forced into submission running through him. He glared at Mark, eyes icy, and kicked Slaine into him when he came around for a second shot, making sure that the heel of his boot ground into his solar plexus as he threw him.

The flash of fear and pain in the vampire's dull red eyes wasn't enough to satiate him. Mika could still taste Krul's blood in the back of his throat, a reminder of his place in the vampire hierarchy that flared the budding progenitor in his mind awake, something dark and ancient and powerful burning with anger at the thought of being crossed by two lesser beings.

The betas managed to minimize the impact of their collision, but they looked shaken at the newly-awakened power behind Mika's blow, pupils thinning to slits as they scrambled back to their feet. The omega saw a chance open up as they turned, and took his shot before they could blink, the hilt of his sword slamming hard into Mark's shoulder as the vampire tried to disarm him.

The hiss of indignant pain was thrilling to him in ways that slightly horrified what bits of humanity he still had left. Mika fought to keep the rage from his face and settled back into his icy mask, disdainful hatred the only thing shining through in his eyes as he looked down at them.

 _How_ dare _you suggest that I submit to you? You are lesser beings than I, and I submit to no beta weakling, fools of the underground._

"Subdue me for what, exactly?" He was giving off the aura of a progenitor, and he knew it, the brief panic showing in the faces of his attackers reflecting the extent of his power back to them. They scrambled to get up, but Mika's speed far outpaced any beta, vampire or no; he was out of their reach before they could blink. "State the exact purpose for you wanting to capture me and maybe I'll take mercy and postpone your deaths."

Slaine lunged at him again. Mika dodged his blow (a mimicry of his own- why did these vampires know his fighting style?) and leapt into the air, watching keenly as he slid to a stop underneath him, obviously bewildered. He took advantage of the noble's foolishness as he landed, kicking his legs out to knock him off balance, his sword slashing the vampire's shoulderblade to pieces.

Slaine let out a high-pitched yelp of pain and retreated, the torn muscle and bone knitting itself back together excruciatingly slowly as ash billowed from the wound.

Mark eyed the damage done to Slaine with an alarmed look on his face, his left hand moving to rub at his own shoulder unconsciously. Mika settled into a crouch and held his sword out, watching as rivulets of blood slid down the blade.

The domineering rage was ebbing from his mind, settling down into a cool, calculative chill. As it withdrew, Mika could feel his omega instincts screaming in the backdrop of his consciousness, a nervous, fearful energy humming under his skin as he surveyed the situation.

 _There are two higher-ranking dynamics out to get you, and you have harmed them._

 _They will hurt you._

 _Run._

Mika grit his teeth, but stood his ground. Across from him, Mark was pulling something from a bag at his side, a canister and- was that a net?

"Ah, I apologize, but you see, we cannot disclose any information to our target." Mark grinned coldly, but Mika could see the fearful edge to his smile. "All you need to know is that you are wanted somewhere that we know you will not wish to approach."

That was a fucking net. Mika froze, instinctual fear clouding his mind. His omega was awake, and it was battling with the vampire within him, the desire to run battling the urge to force the bloodsuckers in front of him to acknowledge his rank.

 _You are an unmarked, unmated, unbonded omega. They will catch you._ Run _._

 _You are the progeny a progenitor. They submit to_ you. _Make them fear you._

"That depends." Thank whatever entities above for Krul's lessons on indifference and his own natural aptitude for theatrics, because when he spoke, his voice was steady. "I have special permission from the queen to be out here. Do you dare challenge her orders? Or is your 'mission' worth evoking the wrath of the third progenitor?"

A quick, amused glance between the two vampires made Mika's stomach twist with fear and dread. Apprehension rose in his throat, the faint traces of Krul's blood mixed with his in his mouth no longer a reminder of his strength, but an evoker of something painfully bittersweet.

 _No._

"That depends." Mark's voice was openly mocking as he stepped forward, spreading the net between his hands. Slaine now held the container; Mika's eyes darted to it, but the lettering was faded and hard to read, and Mark's body language was slowly becoming more and more threatening, distracting him. "Our dear queen may not have as much power over us as you think, after all- are you really so naïve as to think she has absolute power? Vampires are fickle things, Mikaela. The sooner your realize that, the better."

Another step.

Sunlight caught one of the vampire's earrings, ruby and gold gleaming as he walked. Mika narrowed his eyes, sure that there was something familiar about it, but he couldn't remember what-

The overwhelming smell of an alpha in rut permeated the air, a strip of white cloth pressing over Mika's nose and mouth as Slaine dropped down on top of him. Mika let out a muffled shriek of anger, enraged by the sneak attack, but he was already shivering, the artificial pheromones sprayed into the fabric replacing his rage with fear and timid obedience.

- _No!_

"Excellent." Black-and-grey covered his vision as the net dropped over his head, forcing his head down. The submissive posture only exaggerated his predicament; now, with rut pheromones pressed over his nose and in his mouth and something pressing against his nape, Mika was barely able to move, his own instincts shutting down his motor skills in an attempt at self-preservation. Mark's hand descended on the back of his head and stroked down, applying more pressure to the scruff of his neck to ensure he wouldn't be able to get up. "You had us worried for a bit, you know. Ferid wasn't wrong when he said that you had a fiery personality. Of course, all omegas are the same in the end; push them down, cover their eyes, and they turn from a mess of false bravado to a meek little pup in seconds."

The enraged snarl in Mika's throat died at the beta's words, icy claws of dread tearing into his heart.

 _'_ _Ferid wasn't wrong.'_

 _Ferid._

 ** _Ferid was trying to get him._**

The memory of Mark's earring surfaced again, and this time, Mika could remember why it looked so familiar; the last time he had seen it had been dangling from the ears of the seventh progenitor, a sun-guarding design that was unique to Ferid's house and faction alone. These goons weren't just any curious vampires, trying to take him for their own amusement; they were Ferid's property, which not only accounted for their arrogance and their dismissal of the queen, but also their knowledge of his fighting tactics as well as the fact that they had an omega neutralizer ready at hand, which had already been illegal before the fall of humanity.

Mika wriggled his mouth open slightly and clenched his teeth down into his gag. The heady wash of alpha scent hit his tongue, leaving him lightheaded, but he forced himself to taste it, even though the unfamiliarity of the scent made him choke. It was clear that this mix was clearly made to force an omega into a heat; the artificial oil was rich with dominance and lust, a perfect combination for triggering an unbonded omega into fertility and obedience. Mika could feel his own starved body trembling with the intensity of the pheromones, the omega in him trying its best to force him to keel over and submit at the recognition of a strong potential mate.

But there was no identifier in this mess of pheromones; no real alpha to promise his body relief. It was an empty scent, devoid of what was most important, and Mika could feel the tremors in his body shifting from submission to anger, disgust at the attempt to subdue him taking over his instincts.

Had there been Yuu's pheromones mixed into the neutralizer, he would have been a goner. Ferid had made a fatal mistake, giving his servants this false chemical scent; Mika would submit to no alpha as long as Yuu was in his life, and long after he was gone.

 _Filthy, disgusting vampires, blinded by their own arrogance and lust for power._

The angry snarl that ripped from Mika's throat startled Mark and Slaine off of him, the pressure on his neck disappearing at the sudden noise. Mika dropped onto his stomach and kicked his legs out, jerking the net away from his arms, and, with a slight sickening twist in his stomach, he unsheathed his claws, slashing them through the netting so that he could see again.

It had been the first time he'd bared his claws since he was a newly-turned vampire. Mika flexed his fingers, feeling ill at the sight of the sharp points gleaming at his fingertips, but he pushed it down in favor of turning to glare at the betas who had attacked him.

If they hadn't been scared before, they certainly were now. The blood from the Horseman had cracked and sloughed away, and now Mika's scent was thick in the air, rage and killing lust increasing the aggression in his snarling. He could feel the hairs at the nape of his neck bristling, his fangs bared past the gums, a juxtaposition of omega anger mixed with pure vampire hostility.

 _You may think that you have the advantage, but I know Ferid's game. If he wants me, then he will want Yuu, and I would rather_ die _than see him lay a hand on someone precious to me._

"I don't think you did your research, _beta_." Growling had deepened Mika's voice into something rivaling the snarl of an alpha. Both Mark and Slaine stepped back, pupils mere slits in the dull red of their iris, and Mika followed them, raising his sword as he did so. "Didn't you ever hear that an omega cornered can fight more viciously than any alpha? No, you probably haven't. You just think that we're all meek little bitches who will lay down and expose their bellies every time someone waves anything close to an alpha's scent near them."

Something changed in the noble's demeanor, a quick glance exchanged between them after Mika finished speaking, and, as one, they turned and bolted, obviously not willing to risk engaging him. Mika felt a thrill of satisfaction and irritation rush through them, and he bounded after them, skidding directly in front of them before they could escape.

He could scent their fear now, under that reek of the underworld. Mika's mouth opened slightly, tasting their terror and baring his fangs in one movement.

He never thought he would find so much pleasure in the harm of another, outside of the predator lurking within him.

He was wrong. These vampires were terrified of him, terrified of the pain he would afflict them with, and it was _delicious_.

"News flash," he said coolly, raising his sword. They didn't even have time to draw their weapons. How pathetic. "We're not. We submit only to those who are worthy of our time, and _you aren't one of them_."

Fast as a striking snake, his blade cleaved them in two. The billowing ash and fire stung his eyes and his nose as they disintegrated, but he basked in it, sated by their deaths.

 _Threat neutralized._

Mika picked pieces of net off of him and sheathed his claws, looking down at the pile of their clothes disdainfully. Their uniforms weren't even that nice; it was clear that they were dressed in a hodgepodge of Ferid's gifts rather than ones they had specially tailored for them by themselves, as was customary among the vampire soldiers.

The earring glittered in the grass, the smudges of ash left over from its deceased owner blemishing its cheery beauty. Mika contemplated it, biting his lip indecisively, then picked it up and slipped it into his pocket before turning and racing back to the squad's encampment.

After all, it was best to have evidence when trying to convince someone or explain something, and Mika had a feeling that he would have a hell of a lot of explaining to do once he got back. Yuu had never really liked it when he ran off on his own, after all.

.

.

.

Just as he had feared, Yuu was pissed at him.

Mika could hear him yelling two stories down, furious shouts of "Don't hold me back, dammit, I need to find him!" echoing in the silence. Now, standing just behind the door, it was worse; Yuu's screaming had delved into a full-on fight, if Narumi, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba's enraged yelling had anything to do with it.

Mika bit his lip, feeling guilty already, and opened the door.

It was like a bomb had gone off when he was away. The neat circle of sleeping bags had turned to a scattered mess of blankets and heaps of pillows, ringing around the squirming mess of bodies in the center of the room. Kimizuki, Narumi, and Mitsuba were all struggling to hold down a roaring and very angry Yuuichirou, the alpha's aggressive pheromones shot through with panicked, worried undertones. Yoichi was circling the fight anxiously, pleading for everyone to calm down, with no results.

Mika looked up and found Shinoa perched by the back wall, watching the fight impassively. She caught his dumbfounded expression and snickered, but the flat, blank look didn't lift from her eyes; she looked almost as if she was completely detached from what was happening, as if everybody else in the room didn't exist.

"Welcome back," she said teasingly, a hint of exhaustion present in her voice. "As you see, everything went to shit while you were out on your little walk."

Mika's opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance; all the activity in the room stilled for a split second as the others registered his presence.

"Mika!" Yuu threw the others off of him, his scent shifting dramatically, and then Mika's arms were suddenly full of worried alpha, the force from Yuu's pounce knocking him back against the wall. The alpha nuzzled into his neck, scenting him deeply, then pulled back and pinned him down with a reproachful look on his face. "Where have you been?! Narumi said you went off on a walk, but I didn't believe him, and they wouldn't let me try to find you. Why didn't you wake me up so I could go with you?" Yuu looked him over, the anger in his eyes shifting to fear as he took in his appearance. "Wait, you're covered in blood and dirt! What the fuck happened to you?! Are you hurt?! _Mika_!"

The terror in Yuu's eyes took him aback. Mika stilled underneath him, breath catching in his throat, and then he reached his arm up and pulled Yuu's head to his chest as his instincts filled him with guilt.

 _You worried your alpha._

 _Soothe him. Comfort him. Take the pain from his eyes and replace it with love._

The soothing, sheepish purr rumbling in his chest relaxed Yuu immediately, his eyes sliding closed as he held Mika tighter. Mika nuzzled lightly against his scent glands and ran a hand through his hair, relief of his own rushing through him as Yuu's familiar citrine scent washed away the artificial taint still lingering on the back of his tongue.

 _This is how it should be._

"You idiot. Does this smell like vampire blood to you?" Mika's voice held the faint edge of a happy chirrup to it, and he bit his own tongue, cursing to himself. He would _not_ act like a lovestruck omega, dammit, even if he was exactly that. "This blood isn't mine. I ran into some Horsemen of John, that's all."

Yuu let out a sigh of relief, pacified, but his eyes still held a hard edge to them. "Who am I to know what your blood smells like? I kill most vampires before I bleed 'em, and I have no wish to ever smell you bleeding. I see you covered in blood, and I worry."

He struggled to sit up, and Mika followed him, hand resting on the back of Yuu's neck to help pull himself up. Yuu barely flinched at his extra weight, which did funny things to Mika's stomach that he decided not to delve into at the moment.

"You shouldn't worry." Mika poked at Yuu's nose playfully, smiling as the alpha blinked and grumbled. "I can take care of myself. It's _you_ that I worry about."

Yuu glowered at him and opened his mouth, clearly ready to interject, but then Narumi cut in, waving his hands with an uncomfortable glare on his face. Mika gave him a long, hard look, then saw the way that he and Yuu were still tangled together and smelled the way their scents mingled in the air and decided that Narumi probably had a right to be uncomfortable.

Actually, if he looked around the room, everyone looked uncomfortable. Mika took one glance at the way Mitsuba's eyes kept flickering from him to the floor, the way Yoichi was wriggling sheepishly where he stood, and the way Shinoa was very pointedly looking out the window, and promptly buried his face in Yuu's chest in embarrassment.

 _Dammit. I'm so obvious it's not even funny._

"-That's not dirt, it's ash," Narumi was saying, pointing at Mika's clothes. Mika peered up at him, then at Yuu, wincing when the alpha tensed against him. "Vampire ash, to be exact. Just who did you run into, Mikaela?"

The severity of the situation dropped back onto him like a load of bricks. Mika tensed, immediately serious, and struggled to his feet, ignoring Yuu's confused grunt as his momentum knocked him over.

"That's what I came back to tell you, actually." Mika cleared his throat, catching the eyes of the squad, then reached into his pocket and pulled out Ferid's earring, watching grimly as all of the squad (but Yuu's) eyes lit up in horrified recognition.

"I don't get it," Yuu grumbled. Mitsuba slapped her hand against her face, groaning loudly, but Yuu only scowled deeper. "It's just an earring. What's so important about it?"

Mika sighed and shoved the earring in Yuu's face, feeling a slight thrill of humor course through him at Yuu's startled squawk. "It's not just any earring, Yuu. Don't you remember which vampire wore an earring like this?"

Yuu squinted at it and scratched his head, frowning indecisively. "Don't tell me...wasn't it that noble guy? The one with the silver hair that grabbed you?" Yuu's eyes widened, and he drew himself up further, glowering at the earring as if he was going to try to fight it. "Oh, _now_ I remember."

Mika rolled his eyes and tucked the earring away. "Yes, Yuu, it was 'that noble guy'. Very astute observation, thank you."

Yuu frowned at him sulkily. Mika pouted right back at him, then looked up when Kimizuki cleared his throat awkwardly.

"But what does it mean?" the alpha asked. Mika knew he was trying to hide it, but the worry in the alpha's eyes was as clear to him as day. "I remember fighting him in one of our previous battles. He was impossible for us to defeat, and he only retreated when he was tired of us...is he near here?"

"Close." Mika pulled Yuu to his feet and tilted his head at Kimizuki in acknowledgement of his guess. "This earring belonged to one of his lackeys. It's a common endowment among the nobles under his control, and this one was out to capture me specifically."

Yuu's snarl of hatred and fury rose in the air at Mika's words, something possessive permeating his scent. Mika stepped back instinctively and pressed against his side, his own calming pheromones responding to Yuu's enraged call.

"Calm down, I killed them." An unimpressed look over his shoulder changed the aggressive expression on Yuu's face into something sheepish. "They were weaker than me. I had a stronger progenitor, after all."

He turned back and looked out at the crowd, searching for Shinoa's gaze. Her eyes were on him as soon as she registered his presence, mouth pressed in a thin, worried line.

The flatness from before was gone. He still wasn't sure what had taken over her, but he had an idea, and he didn't like it.

"What this means," he said, addressing her directly. "Is that they are tracking us. I don't know what has happened in Sanguinem, but if Ferid is sending out hunters to capture us, then Krul's influence is weakening, and I hate to think of what happens if she loses power completely."

The look in Shinoa's eyes turned from worry to grim resolve. Mika stared her down, and she stared back, the implications behind his words ones that she understood, but didn't like.

 _Are you going to make your move, alpha?_

"Well then, we can't have that." Shinoa pushed off the wall and stalked over to the rest of the group, a sly, tired smile gracing her face. Mika didn't have to look directly at her to know it was utterly fake. "We can't have any vampires on our tail, after all."

She looked around, spinning her demon key between her fingertips. Mika saw the resolve in her eyes and turned towards the door, dragging Yuu along with him before Shinoa could finish her sentence.

"We're no longer safe here. Time to go on the run again, folks!"

The tired, complaining sighs from behind him fell on deaf ears. Mika pulled Yuu to his side, ignoring the protesting whine in the alpha's throat, and raced out, already burning with the need to hide away somewhere no one else would find them.

 _Hopefully this time we can lose that bastard before he can try to take Yuu away from me again._


	13. Chapter 13

Shinoa and the rest of them caught up when Yuu and Mika were already outside, Yuu still scolding him, Mika pacing restlessly as the alpha complained. He hadn't realized just how much staying in one place had grated on him; even though it had only been for five days, the cramped quarters and the proximity to the vampire patrols had apparently rubbed his patience raw, and the edge of forest nestled up against the city was tantalizingly alluring.

That didn't mean he didn't listen to Yuu, though. He wasn't an asshole, after all.

...Well, maybe he was a little. But that really only applied to the people he didn't like.

...Which was practically everybody.

Hmm.

"-You didn't have to grab me and jump over the rail, you know!" Yuu waved his hands around like he was trying to make a point, a frown on his face, but Mika could tell that the only offence he had committed was hurting Yuu's pride. He settled for an eye roll and continued pacing. "I can walk! I'm a big boy! And I left my pack back there, which is kind of a huge problem, because I kinda need it for traveling and fighting and oh, I don't know, _surviving_?!"

"If your friends are really your friends, they would retrieve it for you." Mika's boots were starting to make a perfect circle in the dirt. He studied the marks carefully, walked backwards a few feet to even out the edge, then continued. Yuu noticed his antics and groaned in exasperation. "If they don't, perhaps you should reconsider your choice of companions."

 _Like me_ , he thought sourly. _I still want to run away with you, dammit._

 _Your friends may be nice, but I don't know how much I'm going to be able to trust them with a vampire like Ferid on our tail._

Yuu pouted at him, clearly not happy with Mika's curt phrasing. Mika raised an eyebrow at him, a little stung, but his only response was to pout right back, knowing that Yuu understood that his remark didn't have any real heat to it. He knew from their days as livestock that Yuu hated seeing him upset; hopefully he still remembered how to do puppy-dog eyes, even after so many years learning how to ice over his heart.

 _I only want the best for you, Yuu. I don't blame you for latching onto these people, but if they cannot be trusted with your safety, then I would rather cut them out of our life than to risk you getting hurt._

Apparently, he was still a master at acting adorable, because his ploy worked. One glance at his expression, and Yuu was bright red and spluttering, obviously not expecting Mika to react to his bullheadedness with an expression like that.

It made Mika smile, though he had to fight to keep it off his face. Yuu was still so predictable, even after their separation; it made Mika feel a hell of a lot better, even with the restlessness twisting through his mind. It was nice to know that despite everything, Yuu was still Yuu; impulsive, hotheaded, and easy to rile up.

Yuu grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms, but the look in his eyes was soft and forgiving, his irritation at being played with overshadowed by the comforting familiarity of being able to bicker with Mika again. At this point, Mika wasn't quite sure if they would ever be able to get over the relief of being reunited; there was something almost sacred to their interactions at this point, something that made Mika almost deliriously grateful for every second they spent together.

This time, he wasn't able to keep the smile off of his face.

 _Argument adverted._

"Worry no more!" Shinoa's voice crowed from the apartment's lobby, both her pack and Yuu's slung over her shoulders. She raced out into the sunlight and pumped her arms up triumphantly, trembling slightly under the weight of the bags. "'Tis I that saves the day, the mighty Shinoa! Bow before me, good betas, sweet omegas, gentle alphas, for your goddess has arrived to bless you with her aid!"

Yuu's face melted into tired exasperation. Mika scowled at her, irritated by the intensity of her scent and how loud her voice was, but Shinoa's smug grin didn't fall at their reactions- if anything, it only grew wider, her subtle glance at Yuu's face lighting her up with glee.

Was she _trying_ to piss Yuu off? Granted, Mika couldn't exactly blame her for her zeal- he used to be the same way, after all- but her insistence for going after Yuu in particular was starting to annoy him, his omega instincts recognizing her attention as a possible threat to their relationship. The subtle warning itched under his skin, a constant niggling ache in his mind, and, before he could stop himself, he was pressed up against Yuu's side, shoulder- to- shoulder, his scent rising in the air until it nearly overtook Yuu's alpha musk.

 _Back off._

Yuu gave him a quick glance of surprise, but shook it off, ruffling Mika's hair to reciprocate the affection. Mika felt a purr rise in his throat, his omega instincts placated by the touch, his vampire appreciating the feeling of Yuu's fingertips raking across his scalp.

It was a simple pleasure, sure; a simple pleasure that was nearly drowned out by the surge of guilt he felt at acting so hostile to something as simple as _teasing._

 _What's_ wrong _with me? She didn't even do anything yet!_

Mika clenched his teeth and eased his shoulders, forcing himself to settle back into a neutral stance. Yuu didn't deserve him to intrude on his affairs; the last thing he wanted to be was a burden to him, and the best way to do that was to tolerate the presence of his squad, despite his misgivings. What he had just done wasn't acceptable in the slightest.

One of his fangs was digging into the inside of his bottom lip. Mika closed his eyes, jerked it out, and let the brief flash of pain from the tear serve as a warning to himself.

 _He may be your only family, but he's got a life of his own, you idiot. Calm down._

Yuu, luckily, didn't seem to notice his slip up, and if Shinoa was put off by his possessive display, she didn't show it- or, rather, she didn't have the chance to. Before she could speak again, Kimizuki lifted Yuu's bag out of her hands and threw it to him, rolling his eyes as the minute alpha let out a squawk of protest, the off-kilter weight tipping her to the side.

"She was going to leave it there and force you to go run up the flight of stairs to get it," the tall alpha informed them. Yoichi popped up behind him and wriggled his way out from under his arm so he could race over into the sunlight as Mitsuba chased after him, yelling something about fresh bandages, which jostled Kimizuki to the side as the two passed, earning a snicker from Yuu. Kimizuki shot him a warning glare and adjusted his glasses, sighing as Shinoa gave his shin a reproachful kick. "Don't give me that, you were gloating about it before I stopped you."

"Perhaps! But you got to admit, it would have been hilarious!" The little alpha grinned over at them, a sly light in her eyes despite her being beaten. Yuu groaned, baring his teeth in a lazy challenge, but Shinoa pretended to ignore it in favor of continuing to tease him. "Our confident, oh-so-eager-to-leave Yuuichirou, having to run up five or so flights of stairs to retrieve not only his sword, but all the essentials he needs to survive on the go, which he oh-so-helplessly left _behind_..."

"I think you can blame his vampire for that, not him." Narumi shoved his way past the two alphas standing in front of the entrance, frowning tiredly at the congregation of teenagers. "If it wasn't for the fact that I could hear them bickering from the fourth floor, then I would've thought he'd been kidnapped."

This time, it was Mika's turn to bare his teeth, both flustered at being called Yuu's and offended at the notion that him taking Yuu anywhere would be a kidnapping. Beside him, Yuu flushed, his fingers slipping on Asuramaru's hilt as he buckled the demon sword to his belt.

"Mika's not 'my' vampire, Narumi, he's his own person." Yuu scowled up at the older beta, stance widening, scent thickening in preparation for a fight. Narumi rolled his eyes and walked away to straighten out his supplies, and Yuu bristled, obviously not appreciating the casual dismissal. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Shinoa snickered, and Mika sighed, the alpha pheromones present in the air giving him a headache, something warm and unwanted coiling in his stomach as he watched Yuu challenge Narumi, reminding him that he was only half-dosed on suppressants. Yuu leaping to his aid was the last thing he needed right now; while it was sweet, and Yuu undoubtedly had no idea what kind of effect he was having on Mika, the last thing he needed was to lapse into preheat, especially with such a tantalizing strip of open land in front of him.

 _If I run right now, will he chase me?_

Mika shook the thought from his mind with an irate growl and placed a hand on Yuu's shoulder, shaking him slightly. Yuu's eyes flickered to him, a growl still rumbling in his throat, a dark light smoldering in his bright green eyes that made Mika want to lean closer, press his teeth against Yuu's throat in reverence, and coo to him until Yuu's attention was on him and him alone.

 _I'm right here. Focus on me, and not anybody else._

Mika swallowed heavily at the image in his mind, forcing it down the same way he shoved down his thirst, and growled right back, challenging Yuu the same way he did when they were still unpresented pups. It was a startling juxtaposition to what his omega instincts wanted, and yet it worked perfectly, the snarl rumbling in Yuu's chest dying down as he reluctantly looked over at Mika, obviously not wanting to give up the fight.

"Yuu, drop it." The petulant look on Yuu's face deepened into a scowl, and Mika scowled right back, raising one eyebrow at the alpha's pout. "I don't mind."

 _I am yours anyways. My heart, my mind, my soul...it belongs to you alone. You're my family._

"Still." Yuu shook Mika's hand off his shoulder, and now it was Mika's turn to pout, already missing the contact. "You deserve to be seen as equal, Mika. Just because you aren't the same species as us now doesn't mean you should be subservient to us, and you shouldn't think of yourself like that, either. We're _all_ family, and family isn't supposed to treat each other as lesser beings."

"That's right!" Yoichi stumbled to a stop next to them, panting hard, and grinned at Mika with an enthusiasm that made the other omega roll his eyes. "Don't listen to Narumi, Mika, he's just awkward."

"Hey!" Narumi looked up from his work and shook a fist at them, scowling. "I'm older than you! You should be more respectful!"

"Oh, really?" Yuu called back, grinning deviously. "You're one to talk! It took you two whole weeks to remember Mika's name, and that was with us talking to him around you all the time! Maybe you should start taking memory supplements, old man!"

Narumi spluttered. Mitsuba caught up to them and shoved herself between the two, her minty beta scent sharp in the air as she commanded their attention, hands firmly on her hips to make herself look bigger.

"That's enough! We've got vampires on our trail, and you're bickering over memory?!" The borderliner pivoted on her heel so she could glare at all of them, her voice harsher and louder than everyone else in the clearing. Mika subtly covered his ears with his hands before she could turn around and look at them, fine vampire senses irritated by the noise. "We don't have time to dawdle- oh, where is out stupid excuse for a squad leader?! _SHINOA!_ "

"Right here, Mitsu!" Shinoa wandered over from where she'd been talking to Kimizuki and pressed herself up against the beta's side like a cat, smiling blissfully. Mitsuba glowered at her and tried to shove her away with her elbow, but the alpha didn't budge. "I'm not as bad of a leader as you think, you know. I was here the whole time."

Mitsuba snorted, but she no longer looked as angry as she used to be. Mika noted that she was also no longer trying to push Shinoa away, and that her scent had simmered down to something that was no longer sharp and piercing, but sweeter, more alluring.

 _Interesting._

"I was merely waiting for everyone to stop clowning around and settle down before I would speak to them." Shinoa tapped the side of Mitsuba's face thoughtfully, ignoring the glare she got from it. "We've been settled for a bit, you know. The omegas were getting restless."

A sly glance over to where Mika and Yoichi were standing side-by-side made Mika realize, with a jolt, that he was shifting restlessly from foot-to-foot, mirroring Yoichi. He didn't even consider Yoichi being just as uncomfortable cooped up as he was; he thought it had just been him, not his omega traits.

Yoichi gave him an apologetic grin and mouthed a quick "I'll explain it to you later" to him. Mika gave him a look that he hoped was less of a glare and more of a "yeah, you better."

"Aaaanyways, now that we're all in at least one place, we can finally progress!" Shinoa pushed off of Mitsuba and stretched, letting her scent rise in the air, drawing everyone's attention. "As all of you know, we're being chased. Not by the JIDA, as we thought, but by a high-ranking vampire that is _apparently_ out for Mika's ass."

Yuu growled. Yoichi hushed him, and Mika started reconsidering his initial plans of talking to him while they were on the run.

"We know this," Kimizuki grumbled, swatting at Yuu's head to ensure that he stayed quiet. It only aggravated the snarling, but Kimizuki was too focused on Shinoa to bother with Yuu's temper. "The question is, Shinoa, what we're going to do now. The next city is a few miles over, and we don't have a car to avoid the Four Horsemen of John. Traversing by the main roads is going to be nearly impossible."

Shinoa hummed in agreement, tapping her hand against her thigh thoughtfully. Mika saw her eyes stray to the treeline, and something ancient and primal in his chest leapt hopefully.

Darkness and enclosed spaces. Yes.

Shinoa's grin was catlike as she turned to look at the rest of them. "How do you guys feel about trees?

.

.

.

If Mika thought that he would be able to run alongside Yuu, then he was dead wrong.

He'd been paired with Yoichi for the trip, a decision that he despised, but did not have the power to change. In his mind, Yoichi would have tagged along as he kept pace with Yuu, but Shinoa had shot down that idea quickly.

 _"_ _You and Yoichi, as omegas, are the fastest, slimmest, and have the best eyesight," she'd pointed out. "You're the most suited to run through the trees. You two go first, scan the territory, and help guide us somewhere safe to set up camp. Mitsuba and Narumi will follow you, and Kimizuki, Yuu, and I will take up the back in case anything comes after us."_

 _Mika had glowered at her, not liking the division. "So you want us, the omegas, to run ahead of you? Sure, that sounds_ completely _foolproof. What about your instincts? The last few times we moved, I was allowed to say by Yuu. You weren't chasing me. The last thing I want is for two alphas I don't know to be on my tail."_

 _Kimizuki had turned bright red, flustered by the implications behind Mika's words. Shinoa, however, had merely laughed it off._

 _"_ _You've obviously never met a Hiiragi alpha, Mika." She'd smiled at him, eyes warm and friendly. He'd looked away at that, not used to his moodiness being treated with such unwavering patience. "My family trained us extensively to never give in to our desires, and taught the rest of the army the same. You'll be safe running before us."_

 _That had been an argument that Mika hadn't been able to argue against. He'd turned to Yuu, prepared to beg the alpha to join his cause, but Yuu had just smiled at him and said "This will be good for you, Mika! You and Yoichi can learn to get along better."_

 _Mika shut his mouth, feeling his heart flutter faster in his chest, even as his mind buzzed with protest._

 _Yuu's smile had been the decisive factor to concluding that argument._

Mika leapt effortlessly over a fallen tree, ducking under a bough as his momentum carried him forward. To his right, Yoichi executed the same movement with nearly the same amount of ease as the vampire, proving Shinoa's point.

Mika wrinkled his nose at the thought and glanced back, tasting the air for scents. Mitsuba and Narumi were just behind them, barely out of sight; he could hear them cursing under their breaths as they stumbled over and under things that the omegas were able to pass through effortlessly. Farther back, hidden behind the trees, were the alphas, their scents thicker and mustier than the betas, the crashing and swearing and accusations indicative of their apparent inability to navigate a forest without getting in each other's way.

Yoichi noticed the worry in his scent and smiled softly at him, diluting his scent with calming pheromones. Mika snorted at the help and ran a little faster, trying to get out of the conversation he knew was about to happen.

"Don't worry about them, Mika, I'm sure they're doing fine." A vine whacked Yoichi's face, nearly throwing him off balance, but he kept his eyes on Mika. "They work better together in battle than they do out of it, I swear. If a vampire attacked them, then they'll be able to handle themselves without our help- probably."

That wasn't very reassuring to Mika, and Yoichi knew it, the tension in the other omega's posture as clear as day. Mika gave him a glare from the corner of his eye and sped up a little again, irritated with the way Yoichi was able to keep pace with him. "And if a vampire attacked them that they couldn't fight against, I wouldn't be able to get there in time to help them. Taking scouting duty is not my place."

Yoichi was silent for a second, thinking of a way to answer to that, and then he looked up at Mika again, eyes shining with something that Mika wasn't sure he wanted to identify. "You sure are protective of Yuuichirou. Is there something going on-?"

"-Nothing," Mika snapped, "that you need to know about. He's my family, and he's a reckless, impulsive idiot when he's in battle. Of course I'm going to be protective of him."

 _He's all I have left._

"Sure, but he's still an alpha." Yoichi swerved to avoid a tree that Mika, intent on staring him down, failed to notice. Mika felt it clip his arm, jolting his sunguard painfully against his shoulder, and he growled, a soft, angry sound that made Yoichi laugh. "Protecting the pack is their job, not ours."

"Then what is our job, then?" Mika kicked at a rock as he passed it, watching as it sheared through the bushes under his supernatural strength. His voice was sharp and angry as he spoke, more than he wished it to be, but he didn't bother with softening it. "Breeding? Sitting passively by as others fight for us? Fuck that. If Yuu needs to be protected, then I will fight for him, no matter what instinct tells me to do."

He knew that wasn't true- his omega instincts had guided him to fight and kill and protect when his logical side had begged him not to- but he was irritated, and itching with the urge to turn and run back to Yuu, either to stay by his side until the journey was over or to tease him until he took the bait and chased him down, captured him and-

Mika stopped that thought before it could go any further. Yoichi let out an exasperated sigh, tired of the stubbornness and conflict radiating off of his companion.

"You really don't know anything about our dynamic, don't you?" Yoichi leapt over a small stream, wincing as he nearly slipped and fell upon landing. "I doubt anyone's told you anything about our dynamic."

 _Not true_ , Mika thought sourly. _I had a presentation phamplet and some very outdated books to do my reasurch on._

"Yes, we're the most fertile of the pack, and have the easiest time carrying, but we have lots of other roles besides birthing pups." Yoichi caught the bitter look Mika shot at his stomach and laughed, perhaps sensing Mika's reluctant interest. "For one, didn't you notice that everyone is much more at ease with each other when we're around?"

 _No._

"We're essentially the glue holding the pack together." Yoichi waved a hand behind them, obviously talking about the rest of the squad. Mika rolled his eyes. "The alphas protect and guide, the betas instruct and keep everyone settled, but we're the real heart of the pack. We're the ones that know when a pup needs attention, when someone's getting sick, what to do to make it better. We're the ones that are the quickest to sense danger, we're the best at making snap decisions and are the best at bringing a pack to new territory while the alphas are busy growling at a threat. Can't you sense your instincts trying to guide you somewhere you know everyone will be safe? That's why we were so restless earlier, after Shinoa decided to move- our omega senses were already trying to get us to run. We knew there was a threat, and the alphas in our pack decided that moving camp was better than staying to fight. That's _our_ job, not theirs. Even if you keep denying that we're your family, your omega knows better."

"When did you get so talkative?" Mika grumbled, dodging another branch. Now that Yoichi mentioned it, he was hyperaware of how attuned he was to his surroundings, every part of him on high alert. He hadn't read this in any omega book or pamphlet in the vampire's possession.

Yoichi only chuckled. "Since it became apparent that you're completely clueless about your body."

 _-Hey!_

Mika swung around to face him, ready to fire off an indignant response to that _cheeky_ statement, but a call from Mitsuba cut him off. He and Yoichi slowed, glancing back for instructions, but it was Narumi who caught up to them first, his long legs making it easier to catch up with the duo.

"We're going to stop for a bit," he said curtly. Mika didn't fail to notice how he was trying to hide the way he struggled for breath, and felt a little glimmer of satisfaction flicker through him at the thought. "Yuu got tangled up in some vines, and Kimizuki is now embedded in a thorn bush."

Yoichi let out a squeak of worry. Narumi glanced at him and smiled slightly, his amber eyes softening. "Don't worry, he'd fine. A little stung, but fine."

"And what about Yuu?" Mika stepped forward, bristling. Yuu getting stuck somewhere wasn't new information to him- he remembered when Yuu got his head stuck in the banister to the orphanage barely hours after meeting him- but he couldn't help being worried. "Is he okay?"

Narumi sent him an exasperated glance and rolled his eyes, setting off a hiss of indignation from Mika. "The most harm that dumbass sustained is his pride. Calm down, omega."

Mika's hissing grew louder. Narumi raised one eyebrow, but backed off, obviously uncomfortable with the inhuman rattle emanating from Mika's throat. "Mitsuba's already going to help, but he's pretty stuck, and Shinoa keeps riling him up. I hate to admit it, but you're pretty much the only one who can calm him down, so they need you over there."

 _Of course_ , Mika wanted to snarl. _You guys are barely competent with him_.

He pushed past Narumi, ready to race back to Yuu's side, but a hand on his sleeve stopped him. The vampire glanced over his shoulder, his hiss escalating into a full-on death rattle, but the look in Yoichi's eyes as he looked at him was anything but fearful.

 _Stop holding me back, dammit!_

"After this is over," Yoichi said, not flinching under Mika' fierce sapphire gaze. "We need to talk."

Mika snapped his fangs at him. Yoichi took the hint and let go, smirking at him. There was something mischievous in the way he was looking at him, something Mika immediately decided he didn't like. "Thank you for listening, Mikaela!"

The omega disappeared into the brush, a soft rustle and the trace of his scent the only thing left. Narumi gave Mika a questioning look, but he ignored it, too irritated by the notion of what was to come to bother to explain it to the beta.

 _If this 'talk' is going to be what I think it is, then I'm going to eat my cape._

"Well?" he snapped at Narumi, starting to make his way back. "What are you waiting for? Those alphas aren't going to untangle themselves."


	14. Chapter 14

Mika could hear the screaming long before he reached the clearing, a mess of angry alpha voices underlined with angry beta scolding and the faintest hint of omega soothing. He winced at it- Yuu seemed to be valiantly trying to out-yell everyone else- but quickened his pace regardless of the earache he knew he was going to get later, hearing the beta running behind him do the same. Any more competitive screaming would draw the vampires tracking them to their location like flies to a corpse.

 _Not to mention, we still have the army to worry about. I'm not sure how far of a range they possess or well demons can hunt, but the last thing I want is for them to find us because two of our alphas got into a fight over who could yell the loudest._

Narumi must have had the same thought as Mika did, as he broke the silence between them with a worried, exasperated click of his tongue.

"Those idiots will get us killed," he growled under his breath. Mika scented the worry radiating from him as he looked back, but the expression on Narumi's face was one of irritation, not fear. "Horsemen may avoid forests on their own, but that doesn't mean they're not stupid enough to try to get to us if they think they have a chance."

Mika hummed in agreement, remembering one gut-wrenching time he'd watched a Horseman demolish a building for the family huddling inside, both the monster and the humans dying as the skyscraper collapsed on them. He wouldn't be surprised if the same happened to their squad; honestly, he expected a bit more sense from them than what they were showing at the moment, with them being soldiers and all. "To be fair to the Horsemen, I think we're the stupider ones here."

He wasn't really trying to be funny- thinly-veiled sarcastic remarks had become a commonplace in his dialogue after four years of communicating with creatures he despised. But something about the way he said it, or maybe because of the tension and the mistrust still simmering between them, made Narumi let out a short, barking laugh.

"That's true." Another glance back proved that yes, Narumi was indeed smiling at him, even if it was faint and tight with stress. "I swear sometimes that these damn rookies don't have a single cell of brainpower rattling around in their heads."

Silence fell again, but this time, it was more comfortable than the one that had come before it. Mika, against his own will, felt something within him relax, a little bit of his anxiety melting away as the tension in the air diffused slightly.

He knew it was a bad thing- these were humans, they experimented on his family, this was a beta, a dynamic that was far more deadly to omegas than alphas- but he couldn't help himself. Narumi- with his harsh personality, experience in the army, and bad past with vampires of any kind- had been his biggest threat since Mika agreed to ally with Yuu's 'friends'. Even Kimizuki and Mitsuba, two people that Mika highly suspected had a hard time opening up to people, had treated him with a patience, respect, and tolerance that the vampire himself knew that he didn't quite deserve.

Maybe it was because they trusted Yuu, maybe it was because they genuinely maybe wanted to know him, maybe they feared him and what he stood for- but whatever it was, Narumi had shown none of the same tolerance for his presence. He was always watching him, always challenging him, always lingering in the sidelines with his eyes trained on Mika's every movement, hand always hovering near his weapon. Mika knew that as the oldest of the squad, Narumi was burdened with a responsibility that did not weigh quite as heavily on the others, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe Narumi didn't stir much more than wariness from his omega instincts, but his behavior, from a vampire's perspective, was more than just base hostility. He barely knew this man; for him to be constantly in the periphery of his vision, watching him, was an insult. Add on the hostile glances, and it wasn't just an invasion of territory, but an open invitation for a fight. Mika knew that Narumi probably had no idea what he was doing, but his behavior has still been hard to withstand.

The little smile, no matter how slight it was, had felt like a peace treaty. Mika exhaled slowly, ruefully berated himself for being soft, and ran on.

.

.

.

The clearing was absolute chaos when they reached it; that is, if it could be called a clearing at all. The little strip of ground that was naturally clear of trees looked like it had been artificially cleared of brush, the ground scuffled torn, and trampled, evidence of the scuffle that had broken out. Mika could immediately feel the chilling prickle of demon magic lingering still in the air, a byproduct of whatever caused the burnt swathe of cleanly-cut fallen trees.

(The perpetrator stood meekly in the wreckage, spinning her key sheepishly between her fingers as she watched the going-ons. She was clearly waiting for the chaos she exuberated to die down, as evidenced by her slightly muted scent. Mika glared at her briefly, but didn't waste much time with chastising her; he had other problems to deal with at the moment, and Shinoa already looked sorry enough about it as is.)

Mitsuba paced and snapped directions, clearly trying to calm down the situation, but it didn't help as much as it should have. Even more prominent than the demon magic and the destruction was the yelling and the haze of thick alpha pheromones, the perpetrators both caught in various states of botanic arrest. Mika cupped his hands over his ears, wincing at the pain of it, but he was too astounded by just how much the alphas had fucked up to try to stop it just yet.

Kimizuki was embedded in a bush full of thorns, his clothes and skin pinned by the barbs as he struggled. Yoichi was flitting around him, head angled to bare his neck, trying his best to calm him down, but it wasn't working; everytime Kimizuki's anger would start to fade, an accusing yell across the clearing would send it raging yet again, and he would sink farther into the bush, much to both his and Yoichi's chagrin.

(Mika took one look at him, covered in hundreds of little bleeding scratch marks, and skirted as far away as he could while still being subtle about it.)

A quick glance at Yuu left Mika not quite sure if he was supposed to act horrified or laugh hysterically. He was, as Narumi had said, completely entrapped in vines and swaths of moss, the vegetation hanging off his body pulling tight and tangling even more with every irritated twist of his body. Mitsuba was flitting around him as he struggled, tugging on this vine and that as she commanded him to sit still, but he ignored her; his eyes were only on his enemy, his mouth running a mile a minute, scent and expression and posture screaming 'anger' and 'dominance' at Mika.

The sight was as tantalizing as it was alarming. Mika swallowed down a rush of warmth that left his chest hollow and his legs shaking and approached him carefully, his head automatically lowering as he did so, shoulders relaxing as he dropped his eyes.

The submission wasn't as reverent as it was soothing, something within Mika instinctively aware that an alpha met with a calm, submissive omega was an alpha that would no longer register the source of their anger as a threat, as that would signal that their job to protect had been fulfilled.

Mika had no idea if it would work in this situation- Yuu wasn't being threatened, he was just mad- but he soon found he couldn't stop himself. While he'd felt the urges to submit to alphas in the past, he was usually able to suppress them and escape quietly without baring his neck, his disdain and caution for other alphas winning over the more animalistic part of his mind.

But this wasn't any alpha- this was _Yuu_. His best friend, his family, the only person left in this ruined world that he still trusted. The only alpha that he'd ever been receptive to, whose scent had nearly thrown him into his first heat, who was stupid and caring and kind despite all of the horrible things that had happened, all the things Mika had done wrong. He'd been stupid, horribly so- hell, he'd killed their _family_ , the only true pack they have ever known, and yet Yuu still smiled at him, still hugged him and slept next to him and laughed with him as if nothing had gone wrong. If he couldn't bare his throat to him, then who else?

Something else in him whispered that his submission wasn't just a pacifying move, but an offering, a silent plea for something that Mika would never be able to receive. A something that would mark his neck and leave a beautiful silvery crescent scar, showing the world who his heart and mind and soul truly belonged to.

Mika shivered with want and then immediately stamped it down, snapping irritably at himself as he did so.

 _Don't focus on that. Focus on getting this idiot out of his salad wrap, stupid._

His longing for bonding had helped in the long run, however, as the spike of pheromones that had followed his surge of emotion had caught Yuu's attention almost immediately. The alpha twisted his head around to look at him, pupils diluting as he scented him, a confused frown appearing on his face as he noticed the omega's posture. "Wha- Mika? Weren't you supposed to be scouting-?"

"I was." Mika rolled his eyes, but pressed up against Yuu regardless, passing it off as a reach for one of the vines binding him. Mitsuba raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it, but walked away without commenting on it. "Until a certain someone got his ass stuck, and I had to run back to help."

Yuu shifted to help him reach, his exasperated sigh ghosting across Mika's neck, right over his scent glands. Mika kept his shiver of longing down by slashing through a vine as angrily as if it had personally wronged him. " _I_ didn't get stuck! Kimizuki shoved me to avoid a tree, and I got caught!"

"Lies!" Kimizuki bellowed, pointing a newly-freed arm at Yuu. "You were complaining about traveling through a forest, not watching where you were going- as _usual_ \- and I moved you aside so that you wouldn't get hit! _You're_ the one who mistook it for a fight and attacked me, you idiot!"

Yuu bristled, scent rising again, but before he could speak, Mika shoved a wad of moss into his mouth. The alpha choked, surprised, but soon realized his error when Mika glowered fiercely at him, letting stern disappointment shine through in his scent and body language.

"Say another word and I'll cut these vines away from the trees, wrap you up, and carry you bound and gagged. If you can't act like a mature adult, then maybe you shouldn't act at all." Yuu winced in alarm, but Mika didn't stand down, even though he knew like he was acting like an overbearing mother. "We're on the run. Honestly, I thought you would know better by now."

Yuu nodded, cowed. Mika plucked the moss from his mouth and tossed it away, ducking to the side as Yuu spat out flecks of green.

A soft chuckle announced Shinoa's presence before she stepped out from behind one of the trees, a look of amusement gracing her face. Yuu groaned as she smirked, obviously expecting to be teased to hell and back, but a glare from Mika kept his mouth shut.

"My my, Mika, that's quite a skill you got there." Mika gave her a tired, hostile look, not in the mood for more alpha shenanigans, but Shinoa pretended to ignore him. "Shutting up Yuu, just like that? I know quite a few people on this squad who would trade their souls for that type of power. Which demon didn you make a deal with to earn that? I might need to make a contract with them."

Yuu growled at her. Mika flicked his throat, turning his snarl into a startled cough, and yanked a swathe of vegetation away from Yuu's arms. He no longer needed to be resting against Yuu to free him, but he paid no heed to it. The beat of Yuu's heart was immensely soothing if he managed to ignore his thirst. "It's not a skill. I just have him trained to respect me."

Something about the way he said it must have been ridiculously funny to Shinoa, because her next bout of laughter brought tears to her eyes. "You have him trained, do you? Oh, I don't doubt it! I haven't seen Yuu this tame since Guren forced him to clean the training arena as punishment!"

Yuu threw back his head and groaned as if in pain, baring his neck. Mika swallowed heavily, once again aware of the burning dryness scorching his throat, and ducked away, tearing away the last of the vines.

 _Don't watch his pulse don't watch his pulse don't watch his pulse-_

There was venom sliding down his fangs. Mika flicked his tongue against the tips of his fangs, feeling the way the liquid tingled in the cuts, and swallowed heavily, shuddering at the bitter taste of it.

"Done," he muttered, closing his eyes to gain composure as Yuu stumbled back and let out a whoop of freedom. Shinoa gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, and he brushed her away with a short hiss of anger and desperation.

 _Don't touch me right now. Neither my thirst or my hormones are under control._

"Way to go, Mika!" Yuu flexed his shoulders and grinned at him happily, though the smile became a little strained when he saw the omega glaring at Shinoa. "I'm free! Now I can go punch the glasses off of that fucking-"

"Oh, no you don't." Shinoa stepped in before Mika could, flicking Yuu across the nose the same way that Mika flicked his throat. Yuu yelped, offended, Mika's hiss of rage growing louder as she did it, but the tiny alpha ignored them both. "We won't be able to keep formation with you like this. Why don't you go on a little supply run, hmm? We're getting low on bandages."

Yuu opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, irritated that he had no rebuttal. Mika rolled his eyes at him, pacified by the cute expression on his face, and began to walk over to him so he could join him.

He didn't get more than two steps before Shinoa grabbed onto his cloak and _yanked_ , pulling him back to her side. Mika hissed, enraged at the physical contact, Yuu growling lowly at the act of dominance, but a quick jump to the side and a tilt of her head showed the both of them that Shinoa had meant no ill will.

"Oh, don't get pissy at me." She smiled at them mischievously, obviously enjoying how worked up they were. "I'm not the one you have a date with, Mika. Yoichi told me that he meant to talk to you once we settled a bit, and seeing as that probably wasn't going to happen anytime in the future, we decided that the best time for that would be once he frees Kimizuki from that thorn bush Yuu shoved him into."

She looked behind her and whistled. "Well well well, would you look at that! Look like our dear archer's task is complete!"

 _No._

Mika froze, then looked over her shoulder. True to her word, Yoichi was waving at him, a welcoming smile on his face, a newly-freed Kimizuki grumpily rubbing at the multiple scratches crisscrossing his arms and face.

 _Oh no._

"Mika?" Yuu approached him slowly, tilting his head at Yoichi in confusion. "What is she talking about? I had no idea you and Yoichi were such close friends."

"We're not," Mika replied curtly, eyeing the omega steadily making his way across the clearing. He could already _hear_ Yoichi's special 'teacher voice' in his head, an ordeal that he'd experienced once when he'd been confused on how to operate an elevator. The elevator in question had turned out to be broken, but he'd never wanted to be subjected to that kind of mental humiliation ever again. "He wants to talk to me about being an omega. Apparently I'm not as well-read on my own dynamic as I think."

Yuu appeared dumbfounded for a moment. Mika watched him out of the corner of his eyes, begging him for help.

 _Please take me with you I don't want to have to talk about heats and bonding with someone I barely know please-_

But then Yuu smiled encouragingly, and Mika knew instantly that he was lost.

"I think that sounds great!" Yuu stepped forward and shook his shoulders lightly, just like how he used to when they were kids. Proud alpha pheromones radiated off of him, though he seemed oblivious to it, and Mika fought down the purr threatening to rise in his throat as his omega basked in the praise. "We didn't know jack shit when we presented, remember? The vampires didn't bother with teaching us, so I bet they didn't do so well with you. I had Guren teach me how to be a proper alpha, at the very least."

He frowned at that. "Now that I think about that, actually, that might not have been the best help. That asshole never simplified his speeches. Never mind."

Shinoa laughed at him. Yuu scowled at her. "Oh, shut up! It's not like you were any better!"

Mika sighed and gently moved Yuu's hands off his shoulders, though some part of him never wanted him to let go. Yoichi was only a few feet behind them at this point, and Mika, regardless of how much knowledge he had about being an omega, knew when he was losing a battle.

 _I'm dreading the next few hours._

A light brush against his side, the sweet whiff of omega, and Yoichi was smiling up at him, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He looked just like the kids in the orphanage did when they wanted to show him something cool, and Mika sighed in defeat, knowing that he had no power to say no to a look like that.

 _Dammit. I'm soft._

"Hello, Mika!" He chirped happily- and fuck, did he _have_ to say it just like an excited pup?! This was unfair! "Ready for your lessons?"

Mika looked back at Yuu, pleading him once again, but if his alpha noticed the desperation in his stare, he didn't show it. All Mika got was an amused smile and a wave good-bye before Yoichi began to tug lightly at Mika's cape, beckoning him to follow.

"Sorry to bother you, but we have a lot to talk about while we stop for a bit." Yoichi waved a 'thanks' to Yuu and smiled over at Shinoa. "And Shinoa volunteered to help! She knows quite a bit about the dynamics, so she'd going to help correct me if I get anything wrong. Right, Shinoa?"

The alpha grinned deviously at Yoichi, eyes flickering between the two omegas as she agreed, and Mika knew he was fucked.

There was no way out of it now.

The vampire groaned and shut his eyes, resigned to his fate. Both Yuu and Yoichi laughed at that, Yuu's voice getting fainter as he was pulled away. "Have fun!"

That heartless bastard. Mika was _so_ going to get back at him when he was free again.


	15. Chapter 15

Mika was suffering.

Well, maybe suffering was a bit of a strong word. He wasn't in excruciating pain, for example, though the hunger pangs from his thirst were getting more agonizing by the day. And he wasn't curled up in a ball raking bloody furrows into himself as images and pain and screams of 'your fault, all your fault, you fucking monster' echoed in his head, so mentally he was doing what he would count as quite well.

(Which wasn't quite well at all, and he knew it, but oh well. He'd lived with the scars and infections in his mind and his heart for years now; a little more was merely another grain of sand in a storm of mental grit. He was numb to the pain by now.)

And yet here he was, perched on a log with two very enthusiastic humans ready to give him the talk every adolescent was supposed to go through, and he was completely, utterly miserable about it.

Mika knew all too much about suffering. But he didn't know all that much about embarrassment.

Until now.

(Mentally, he noted it down as a new form of torment.)

"-It's going to be hard, teaching you about the legends and the old wives' tales surrounding our dynamic, so perhaps we can save that for when we're running point again. For now, let's see what you do know about omegas. Is that all right? Mika?"

…And oh, right. He was supposed to be listening when they spoke to him.

"It's fine." The answer is curt and sharp and cutting where he meant it not to be, and he winces, but at least it masks his discomfort. Shinoa and Yoichi don't seem to care anyways, and it's soothing to know that they can't hear the embarrassed _click_ he makes in his throat when he realizes his slipup. "What do you want me to start with? Physiology or personal experience?"

"Whichever one you please!" Yoichi smiles at him, heartbeat quickening, and, with a touch of amusement, Mika noted that he was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. Was he really this dead set on being friends with a vampire that he would give it a puberty talk to try to get to know it better? Humans were strange. "This is so exciting! I've never met an omega like you before. You've never been taught to suppress your instincts like us, so you're practically feral. It's so cool!" Yoichi's smile dropped slightly, nervousness filling in the gap. "Um, sorry. That came out wrong."

Mika snorted and ruefully remembered the times he nearly scentmarked the entire wing of his part of the castle as a newly-turned, how he'd fought against the surge of instincts that his newly-presented body had overwhelmed him with in addition to the demands of his new vampire nature. He'd been brutal with himself back then, before he was used to the need to claim and nest and nurture a pack that wasn't even there; it had hurt, and he had fought himself with probably more force than strictly necessary.

 _Practically feral, my ass._

But even if he was uncomfortably looming under the impediment of doom that meant the presentation talk, he still knew when to hold his tongue. Years of restraining what he truly felt and wanted had taught him well. Briefly, he considered turning tail and getting the fuck out of there while he still could, but he didn't know where Yuu was, and he had nowhere to run if his alpha wasn't by his side. "I wouldn't say that, but sure. I suppose."

Shinoa hummed thoughtfully, clearly sensing the sarcasm dripping from his voice (had they been vampires, he would have restrained himself, but these were _humans_ and he was too tired and stressed to regulate his tone). "That's nice and all, but let's move on." She turned to Mika, her scent soothing, not even seeming to notice when he curled his lip and snarled irritably at her for her for her shit pheromone regulation. He was sure she would have learned to not coddle him by now, but..."You were saying _what_ about physiology now, Mika?"

…Right. They were talking about omegas, not pushy alphas who couldn't keep their noses out of his business.

…Not that he would mind Yuu getting into his- train of thought canceled, derailed, set on fire, Mika was NOT going to think about that right now.

 _Um._

"There's a variety of things I know, actually," he forced out, glaring the both of them reproachfully. Yoichi merely smiled as serenely as if he held no hand in this whole mess in the first place, Shinoa's eyes squinting slightly as she fought to restrain her smile. That only irritated Mika further- how were they all so calm about this? "The basics of our physiology, our physical strengths and weaknesses, some pheromone cues and the simple rundown of heats, nesting, and scent bonding." He flushed at the last one, slightly embarrassed by it. "I had a pamphlet. And a book. A few books."

Shinoa caught on to his discomfort and snickered, eyebrows waggling. Yoichi elbowed her, and she playfully shoved back, dropping the obnoxious act. "Just as I feared. God, those presentation packets were the death of me. How outdated were the books, Mikaela?"

"Not too outdated." Mika wasn't sure how he felt about The Pamphlet being a universal experience. It made sense, considering the fact that it was a school packet for kids across the country, but still- it was awkward, and it had too many smiles, and certainly too many references to certain powerful 'urges' and the needs for certain 'helpers' to aid with heat agony. "I learned enough to know my advantages and disadvantages as an omega, biologically speaking."

Yoichi hummed thoughtfully, tapping his cheek as he did so. "Such as-?"

"Our speed, flexibility, agility, and reaction time," Mika listed the traits on his fingers as he spoke, the memory of the book's page swimming to the forefront of his mind. His times in the library of the vampire queen held the most clarity in his memory, the thousands of pages of timeless snippets of information allowing his pain-scarred mind a well-needed rest. "The common duration and occurrence of a heat cycle for a male omega. What dynamics have what type of influence on us, and the way they react to our pheromonal cues, to some extent, though I was trying to research vampire pheromones more than omegas at the time. Basic muscle structure, scruffing, location of scent glands-" (that particular search had been spurred by a paranoia that Ferid had marked him irreparably when drinking from him, binding his soul to him forever, _tainting_ him)-"Some of the psychology behind submission, physical characteristics typical to omegas, and so on."

Yoichi nodded along as he spoke, listening intently. Shinoa tilted her head curiously and leaned forward to address him, a frown of concentration on her face. "So you're telling us that you just learned enough to make use of yourself as a fighting machine."

There was something sorrowful underneath the curiosity in her tone, a sadness that radiated from her without her seeming to notice. Mika stared into the depths of her reddish-brown eyes, shocked at the amount of concern that she had for him.

 _...How did she-?_

There were specks of bright crimson in her mahogany irises, an inhuman colour that mocked him the longer he looked at them. He dropped his gaze, sickened.

"That was the idea, yes." He was pleased to hear how steady his voice was when he spoke- concerned for him or not, he still didn't want to show weakness around these two humans. Emotional bonding of any sort could prove to be fatal in the long run. "I didn't experience any heats, I have no pack, and my main objective was to get Yuu out of harm's way. I didn't need to learn any more."

"Wait, you had no heats?" Yoichi leaned forward, frowning slightly. "But you acted like you were in preheat on the battlefield, and you take suppressants, so why-"

"I'm a vampire." Mika cut him off before he could finish, exasperated with the question. Even if he himself wasn't quite sure why he reacted so positively to Yuu's pheromones, he had his suspicions, and he had no interest in discussing them with _these_ people. "And I'm starving. Even if I'm only half-turned, Krul's blood isn't enough to sustain a full heat."

"But that's still quite strange." Yoichi picked a stick up off the ground and started twirling it, frowning contemplatively at it. Beside him, Shinoa was shifting uncomfortably, presumably because the end of the stick was now spinning in her face. "I mean...you may be half-vampire, Mika, but you're still half-human. And even if you're not getting as much blood as you need, or the right quality-" he glanced at the fangs half-hanging over Mika's lip and swallowed nervously, an act that was not lost on the other omega- "You're still going to have some physical reactions from the hormonal cycles, even if they don't escalate into full heats. Have you uh, experienced any symptoms of a heat in the past?"

The memory of fever-like symptoms, sore scent glands, crawling skin, and the crushing, unbearable need to be held and comforted rose from the depths of Mika's memory, from a time when his tongue still tripped and nicked over his newly-developed fangs and the pain from his losses was still raw and painful. Presentation heat wasn't anything like the real deal, he knew, but it was the only thing he could compare it to.

 _It hurt._

He tugged the edges of his cape around himself as if it could shield him from the memory and shivered slightly, growling under his breath. "...No. The closest I ever came was presentation and the mess you saw on the battlefield, plus some nesting I did after I got back to the city. Does that count?"

Shinoa 'awwed', perhaps enchanted with the mental image of Mika nesting. He snorted at the memory of the messy pile of soft object he'd made in his closet and kicked a rock at her, which she dodged effortlessly.

"Not quite." Yoichi smiled at their antics and wrestled retaliation ammo out of the female alpha's hand. "Normal preheat symptoms tend to be a bit stronger than that, and you should've experienced some heat reactions on top of that."

"Such as..."

"Abdominal pains, increased pheromone production, slick production, loss of appetite, emotional neediness, arousal." Shinoa jumped in, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. Yoichi squeaked slightly as she pushed him, and Mika stared at her, horrified. "I'm not listing all of them, but surely you're familiar with at least some of them? Your body should have cycled through them at least _once_ , if not to check that the muscle thingy that seals off the digestive tract from the reproductive organs works. I know my secondary reproductive system's done that out of rut a few times. Dynamics are wonderful, aren't they? You could be dreaming about something as benign as kale and then suddenly, boner! Then again, you omegas are only receptive when you're in heat, so you don't have embarrassing moments like us al..."

 _WHAT._

" _Stop_." Mika held his hands up in defense, mind spinning. Yoichi covered his mouth to hide his laughing, though his face was flushed. "How do you know so much about omegas? I thought you were here to talk about the other dynamics!"

 _Having Yoichi try to teach me was embarrassing enough. The last thing I need is for an alpha to be telling me about_ heats.

"Why shouldn't I?" Shinoa tilted her head and smirked, obviously enjoying herself. Her scent rose, perhaps in response to the taint of embarrassed omega now permeating the air, an action that, to Mika, added insult to injury. "Omegas are fascinating. I grew up in a family of all-alphas, if you didn't know; I'm well-acquainted with the peculiarities of my dynamic, but I'd never met an omega until I actively joined the army, so I made sure to read up on them when I did so."

She threw up her arms as if conducting a performance, her grin widening. The smell of a happy, excited alpha spiked, and Mika coughed, pinching his nose shut at it. "Heats! Self-lubricant! A highly adaptive body type that can carry pups with little difficulty and recover from birth mere hours after it! High emotional and practical intelligence! Extreme durability under stressful physical conditions! Speed, agility, sharp eyesight! The ability to bulk up on calories and then not have to eat for several days while undergoing extreme physical strain!"

Mika blinked, stunned, and Shinoa pointed excitedly at him, waving her finger at his abdomen like it held the secrets to the universe. "And that's just omegas in general, I didn't even get started on male omegas! Did you know that your asshole isn't even really an anus, but a cloaca that has a flap that seals off the entrance to your digestive and reproductive track based on whatever it's being used for to prevent cross-contamination? And that you have a special slick that cleanses the area before a heat or when you're birthing a pup so that you infect neither your mate or your newborns? Or that your hips are specially jointed so they can expand near the end of your pregnancy, and your mammary glands lactate based on stimulus alone, which reduces the risk of overproduction? I mean, sure, you guys have a harder time with birthing and feeding your pups than any female omega will ever have, but the flexibility of your body in being able to accommodate to such severe circumstances like it's nothing is fascinating. Plus your pain tolerance is _amazing_. It's part of the reason why the army encourages omega enlistment, actually. You guys are cute and squishy off-battlefield, but you're _terrifying_ in-combat. Oh! And did you know that a male omega's heat pheromones and bond increases the fertility and successful carrying rate of a female alpha or beta? Female alphas and male omegas are essentially the reproductive trump card, since we're able to reproduce bisexually, but you male omegas are really the evolutionary masterpieces."

Shinoa's enthusiasm was terrifying. Mika pulled his cape tighter around himself, wishing it was longer.

"Okay, okay, calm down." Yoichi tugged lightly on the sleeve of Shinoa's uniform, flustered. His scent was still tinged with embarrassment, but the calming pheromones he was emitting cut the intensity out of her scent, making the air a little more breathable for the both of them. "I think Mika got the point."

Oh, he sure did.

"So what you're meaning to tell me," Mika said, still trying to piece together Shinoa's conversation in his head. "Is that you're some kind of omega fetishist."

 _Of_ course _I'd get stuck with someone who's fascinated with omegas. I should've run away with Yuu when I still had the chance._

Shinoa blinked at him, startled, then laughed uproariously. Mika flinched and hissed, irritated by the volume, and she waved a hand in apology, wiping tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes. "No, no, you don't need to worry about me! My fascination with omegas is purely born from curiosity."

She leaned back and smiled at him again, gentler this time. "Besides, I'm not even attracted to omegas in the first place. I'm only interested in higher-rankers, like borderliners and alphas. Comes from growing up in a family of alpha-attracted-alphas, I suppose."

Oh.

 _Oh._

Mika stared at her, mind racing. He wasn't sure how he had missed it before- well, maybe he could, Shinoa flirted with everybody regardless of their gender or dynamic- but now that it was out and up front, he felt stupid.

As well as wary. Shinoa wasn't a threat to him, he knew, and she wasn't focused on her own personal needs or wants as much as she pretended she was- but there had been a few times where she'd acted kinder and gentler with Yuu than Mika had thought was strictly necessary. He knew it was irrational- she was Yuu's friend, and he had no right to be as clingy and possessive as his instincts screamed for him to be- but he'd passed it off as a mere personal quirk, sure that an alpha like her wouldn't be interested in another of the same dynamic, especially one as oblivious and rebellious as Yuuichirou.

Memories of all the times she'd touched Yuu, teased him, and smiled at him flashed through his head, and Mika swallowed hard, something needy and possessive and distinctly _omega_ rearing its ugly head. He tamped it down, the rational part of his mind ashamed at him for being so selfish- but he couldn't force it to go away completely.

He thought of bond-bites again, of the connotations behind them- but this time the silvery marks in his mind didn't grace his neck, but another, one with tanned skin and four puncture marks larger and rounder than the others, marks made by vampire fangs.

He shivered involuntarily, then shifted his jaw to the right and bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, focusing on the pain instead of the primal, possessive want echoing through his mind.

 _Stop it. Yuu is not yours in the way you may think, you stupid needy lovestruck omega,_ _ **stop it**_ _._

"-Anyways, we got off track," Yoichi said, the tip of his boot nudging lightly against Mika's foot. It knocked Mika out of the brewing storm of self-hatred looming in his mind, and he blinked, realizing, with a jolt of embarrassment, that his scent was now the strongest in the clearing, ripe with territorial pheromones.

 _God fucking dammit._

"As I was saying, we're here to help Mika learn more about his dynamic, not gush over how, ah, cool we are." He gestured to Mika with his stick, smiling at him encouragingly, as if he couldn't now smell the disgruntled unhappiness radiating off of the other omega. Mika really needed to get a scent blocker at this point, this was just fucking ridiculous. "-Your scent just got stronger as of now, Mika, why do you think that is?"

 _I want to claim my best friend and my most important person as my mate simply because others are showing interest in him, even though I am positive that if he ever was to do so it would be simply out of pity for me instead of genuine interest._

"I don't really know," he bit out, moving his hands to the sides of his neck as if that would help block the scent. It didn't; all he did was scentmark his own hands, the oil of his scent slicking his gloves. Beside Yoichi, Shinoa was still and blank, her eyes dead pools of no emotion. "Some stupid hormone spike, probably. Like I said, I'm essentially starving myself on Krul's blood right now. My body isn't quite stable."

Yoichi frowned at that, caught between concern and obvious disbelief. It was a blatant lie, and Mika knew that he knew it- the pheromones simmering in the air was the mark of a territorial omega, not a vampire. Mika was sure that Shinoa wasn't buying his lie, either; after all, his scent had been a challenge, a challenge that was made especially for her. An alpha like her wasn't prone to missing something like that.

He snuck a glance at her and noted that her eyes were closed, her breaths deep and even, scent completely neutral. So she was trying to ignore his threat, then.

That was good. If she was to challenge him back he wasn't sure what he would have done.

"Speaking of your thirst, we need to do something about it." Yoichi was giving him a gaze that Mika knew all too well, the sad 'oh, honey' look that always crossed Krul's face when she found him hiding somewhere, shivering with pain and thirst and nostalgia. He crossed his arms and refused to meet Yoichi's eyes. "We know you have vampire blood with you, but it's been some weeks, and I haven't seen you drinking of late. Not to mention, you're starving...Mika, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Mika's voice was harsh in his throat, his anger a weapon meant to drive off more questions. Yoichi frowned at him, sad instead of scared, and Mika ducked his head, guilt deepening.

 _Stop worrying about me stop giving me that look-_ "I have enough to hold me over." _I don't._ "And even if I don't, it doesn't matter anyways."

"It does." Shinoa spoke up suddenly, her gaze boring into Mika. He dropped his gaze, but something in his eyes must have given his sentiments away, because she frowned, stern worry making itself present in her scent. "Mika. If you're not well enough fed, I shudder to think of what might happen-"

"So don't think." Mika straightened his posture and glared at her, furious with the implications behind her words. _I won't go feral, I won't drink from you, I would rather_ die _than become a full vampire_ \- "You aren't my keeper, and you aren't my alpha. This is my issue, not yours. Do yourself a favor and keep your nose out of it."

 _Besides, I have a solution, one that you wouldn't like. Don't presume that I am so stupid as to not know the risks involved with my...nature._

Shinoa's frown deepened, obviously ready to argue back, but she didn't get a chance to speak, and Mika had no interest in continuing to listen to her. Before she could get a word out, he had stood, focusing all his attention on the sound of footsteps running towards them.

 _Yuu and the rest of his friends? Or foe?_

"Someone's coming," he explained, letting his hand rest on the hilt of his sword for emphasis. The sound of footsteps resolved into boots crunching through forest undergrowth, and he stilled, feeling his hair brush over his ears as they flicked back and forth, trying to count the number of people running towards them. Across the clearing, Kimizuki stopped gathering firewood, took one look at the vampire's frozen posture and intense stare, and drew his twin swords, preparing for a threat. Behind him, Mika heard Shinoa hiss for Yoichi to do the same, but he ignored them; there were scents drifting toward him now, scents tinged with blood and vampire ash, and he opened his mouth and let the taste drift over his tongue and hissed, fury and dread coiling low in his stomach. "Whoever they are, they're fresh from a fight. I smell dead vampires on them."

He failed to mention that vampires masked in the scent of their fallen kin were likely to be soldiers of the uprising in the capitol, vampires that he would hold no influence over. The humans didn't need any more worry than they were currently experiencing.

The answer resolved itself a second later, as a black-and green blur hurdled out from the tree line. Mika blinked, recognized the human speeding towards him, and held out his arms.

Yuu tried to brake before impact, failed, and crashed into Mika at full speed, knocking the both of them back a few feet. Mika coughed as the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs, Yuu's right boot planting itself firmly on his left foot, but helped him steady himself, something in his head singing with joy as Yuu's head bumped roughly against his jaw, his arms tight and warm around the omega's shoulders.

 _Focus, Mika. We're in the middle of a goddamn war. We do not have time for this shit._

Narumi and Mitsuba emerged a second later, Narumi supporting a limping Mitsuba, his soot-smeared trident held out before them. Shinoa gasped and ran to help, and Mika caught a glimpse of a long, wet red slash on the female beta's leg, the scent of the fresh blood a deliciously tantalizing contrast against the ash and fear-scent.

He swallowed heavily, feeling the thirst pound hard and heavy in his throat and against the inside of his skull. "What-"

"Vampires." Yuu growled, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. There was something dark and hateful and distant in those beautiful green eyes of his, and Mika felt his heart flutter alive in his chest, alarm contrasting with...something else. "Lots of them."

 _Fuck._

"We tried to avoid 'em, but they weren't the regular patrols, and they didn't have the right uniforms." Yuu's grip on his sword twitched, a shiver of demon power shimmering in the air - Mika hadn't realized that accursed weapon was out, he'd been so focused on Yuu- "They had all sorts of fancy clothes, noble clothes. Remember those prissy bloodsuckers that used to follow that silver-haired sorry excuse of a walking shit around in Sanguinem , Mika?" Yuu's lip curled into a snarl, baring his teeth like a dog as he snarled. "These fuckers looked like them. Same attitude and jewelry and stale scents and everything." The alpha nudged him lightly with his shoulder, his growl quieting slightly. "You know 'em?"

 _Oh, hell fucking no._

"Take me to them," Mika choked out, dread and fury burning in his chest. He knew of the vampires that Yuu was speaking of; he'd spent months in pristine white halls watching as they flitted around him, whispering rumors, their hungry, predatory gazes trained on him as he ran to Ferid, dreading the sting of the bite to come, the fear of the pain contrasting with the knowledge that the progenitor was safer than any of them with their sweet, razor-sharp smiles. He'd spent years longer than that ignoring those same curious stares as he perched, not by Ferid's side, but at the foot of the throne of the queen, his catlike blue eyes boring into their matching red ones as they watched him. "I want to know exactly who they are."

 _And their business._

 _If vampires like those are out on the streets, then that could mean that Sanguinem has fallen, and that Ferid is king._


	16. Chapter 16

The ruins of the city are teeming with vampires.

Nothing's changed since they last left it- well, except maybe the crowd has a few less bloodsuckers than it did before- but Yuu still growls down at them nonetheless. They're everywhere, lesser nobles and their common consorts, perched on lamp posts and old cars and the ruins of buildings like great, white, predatory birds, and he _hates_ them, hates them with a burning passion that's only exuberated by the sight of patterns and baubles that spurs images of a sly grin, of hands gripping, of fangs piercing the pale skin of Mika's throat as he gasps in pain, leaving mauled shoulders and trembling weak smiles and _'_ _I'm fine, Yuu, please, don't worry…'_

Something cool presses against his side, some presence that soothes the angry fire raging within him, like ice over a burn. The growl tearing up his throat and his chest chokes, stutters, and dies out, the tension in his muscles relaxing almost against his will.

He turns his head to the right, and a pair of icy-blue eyes stares back at him, the pupils slitted like a cat's, eyes that mirror the eyes of the monsters below in all but colour. It's almost enough to tug another growl from his chest- he's spent years fighting creatures with eyes like that, it's involuntary- but he swallows it as soon as it tries to start, because it's not a monster before him, it's Mika, it's _Mika_ , Mika isn't dead, he's not shivering and pale from blood loss he's right here and _alive_ and pressed up against Yuu's side, trying to calm him, like he always does when Yuu is being an idiot and trying to fight things he would have no chance against.

It's painfully nostalgic, even with the threat of a fight lingering right in front of them, but it's a good pain. He grins and shuffles a little closer to Mika's side, careful not to slip off the edge of the building they were standing on, and nudges him gently with his shoulder, gently poking a finger into his cheek.

The omega gave him an exasperated look, but the worried crease in his brow didn't soften, the downturn of his lips didn't lift. It was an expression that looked fundamentally _wrong_ to Yuu, and the alpha's smile slipped slightly, worry and guilt and protective instincts rising in his mind.

 _No, don't look like that, don't be worried, I'm here, I'll fix it, I won't let you ever get hurt again-_

 _"_ _What's wrong?"_ He whispered, feeling fury start to creep back in his mind. Mika's scent was more subdued than it usually was, probably because of the urgency of the current situation, but it was rife with worry and helpless anger, little cues that twisted Yuu's stomach into knots. Alphas were weird about omega scents, he knew-Guren had drilled it into his mind with a vendetta- but Mika was different than the other omegas he had encountered and ignored, he was family and pack and _his_. He didn't know what was going on, exactly, but he also couldn't tolerate just sitting here and doing nothing while Mika worried. "It's the vamps below us, right? Do you want me to beat 'em up for you?"

It was a ridiculous request- zealous about slaying vampires or not, Yuu knew he had no chance of fighting more than one of them without help- but it stirred a small, exasperated smile from Mika, and that made the punch to the ribs and quiet scolding about idiocy from Mitsuba worth the pain.

"No, Yuu, I'm fine." He wasn't. Mika must have seen the disbelief in his gaze as said it, because his next move was to drop his head and tilt his head to look down at the vampires below, resolutely not looking him in the eyes. Yuu frowned and tried to follow his gaze- did his scent just get sweeter when he did that?- but Mika didn't look up. "I just...never thought I would see these nobles outside of Sanguinum. They're bad news. Very bad news." The last part came out as a growl, higher and sharper than any alpha snarl, one that stirred something deep and feral within Yuu.

 _There's an enemy nearby there's danger get ready to_ _ **fight**_ _-_

"How bad is it?" Narumi slid a little closer from his post behind them, frowning at Mika like he wasn't quite sure if he could believe him. There was a hard, cold light in his bright amber eyes, a look that Yuu didn't like directed at Mika at all, but there was nothing he could do about it when the older beta was refusing to act on it. Had he been an alpha, Yuu would have snapped at him for it by now to keep him in his place, but he was a _beta_ , he couldn't challenge him without looking omega-mad...and Mika was uncomfortable, but not giving any indication of being overtly upset about it. Good, that's good, if he was legitimately upset Yuu might have done something drastic and stupid. "-Are they prestigious, hold a lot of power, or...?"

"They're Ferid's pets," Mika snapped, and wow Yuu was not going to let himself be impressed by just how well that made Narumi quiet, nope, no jealously for shutting-up-the-nagging-older-brother-figure skills here. "Nobles specifically coddled by and catered to by the seventh progenitor. They hold quite a bit of influence in the courts, which makes them enemies of the queen. For them to be out on the surface world, meeting next to where we hid last, could mean two things: one, Ferid failed, and the queen expelled them from the underground, leaving them stranded out here. Or two...he has risen to power, and they are free to do whatever they wish."

His voice trailed off as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. Yuu squinted- was that anger? Fear? Sadness?- and shuffled closer, concerned.

"What does that mean anyways?" Yuu asked, shifting his weight. "I know this Flarid dude is trying to hunt us down and capture us, but why does the queen matter? I think Shinoa mentioned something about that brick wall we fought in Nagoya while we were on a supply run, but I was looking for food at the time so I didn't listen to her."

Mika tensed, his fingers tapping along a broken piece in the concrete he was perching on. Yuu tensed with him, worried he had stuck his nose where it didn't belong, but Mika's scent didn't rise, nor did his expression change.

Yuu's eyes narrowed.

 _He's become better at hiding things. Either that, or he's got no idea what he's supposed to think or say right now._

"...You need to learn to pay more attention, Yuu." Mika turned to face him, his expression completely serious, and Yuu gulped, feeling his confidence waver under Mika's stern look. "What your alpha friend was talking about is no laughing matter. If K-the third progenitor is overthrown, then your 'Guren' guy may either be killed or locked some place we won't be able to retrieve him."

Yuu's heart fell at Mika's words, a sickening feeling rising in him. Mika spoke Guren's name with bitter contempt, which hurt a little bit, but the fear of not being able to get Guren back- of losing someone he cared about _again_ \- made him feel physically ill.

"What do you mean about that? I thought that buff vampire dragged him away!" Yuu lunged forward, grabbing at Mika for answers, and nearly fell off the building. Mitsuba grabbed for him, but Mika got to him first, a frightened hiss rattling out from between his teeth as he grabbed onto Yuu's shoulder and pulled him close.

Yuu's heart did a funny little flip in his chest as Mika locked his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder, tucking him safely against him. The proximity was strangely calming, the intensity of Mika's scent impossible to ignore this close to his neck and shoulders, the familiarity of it reminding Yuu of safety and family.

It took the edge off his panic, and he blinked away tears he hadn't thought he shed and let out a long, slow breath. Mika nuzzled lightly against his hair, perhaps reassuring himself Yuu was safe, then released him and stepped back, guiding him away from the edge.

"Idiot," he breathed, his voice low and shaken, and Yuu flushed with embarrassment, hyperaware of Mika's hand still clenched on his arm. It was cold where the sun didn't touch him, a detail that filled him with sorrow and regret. "Look before you move, Yuu, I'm not sure if I would have been able to catch you if you fell."

Yuu's mind flashed him with a memory of Mika leaping across buildings effortlessly, and he laughed, still slightly shaken from his near-fall. "I doubt it. Besides, Asuramaru would have healed me if I broke anything. Probably."

There was a slight simmer of malcontent from a corner of his mind. He focused on it for a split second, wondering if the demon was going to say something, but Asuramaru remained silent. He hadn't spoken to him beyond his nightmares since the skies of the mindspace had broken during the battle in Nagoya, most likely still pissed at the near-brush with the angels.

Or, at least, that's what he had called the winged forms circling far, far above them. To be fair, Yuu was still a little pissed that he had knocked him back to the mortal world before he could see what was going on.

 _Are you gonna say something, or are you gonna sulk?_ He thought, irritated. _Come on, I just complimented you._

Silence. Yuu huffed.

Narumi cuffed him lightly over the head, startling him. "Listen to the vampire. He has more common sense than you will ever have."

Mika glanced up at him, obviously surprised that Narumi was complimenting him, and Mitsuba sighed and nodded, looking down at him like he was a lost case. Yuu felt himself bristling, his scent rising in challenge, but he couldn't tamp it down.

"You're kidding me! You're scolding me for being an idiot when Mika just told me that we might not get Guren back?" He was vaguely aware of Mika touching his back, obviously trying to get him to calm down, but he couldn't. Both Narumi and Mitsuba winced guiltily, and Yuu subsided a little, though he was still upset. "Of course I acted rashly, but that's why Mika and you guys are here. Yeah, I am an idiot sometimes, but there's a member of my family out there that I need to help, and now I might have to lose someone again." Tears stung his eyes again, and he blinked them away, determined not to let panic overwhelm him. For some reason, Mika's hand on his back was staying his usual anger, letting his grief through more clearly than it would have without him. "Of course I'm going to act a little stupidly, I'm upset, dammit!"

Mitsuba looked shaken. "Yuu, you nearly fell off a building."

"So? I've had worse before." Mika sucked in a breath behind him, moving closer protectively, and Yuu reached behind him and absently patted him so he didn't get too upset about it. "Falling off a building isn't great, but it's not the dumbest thing I've done."

"Maybe," Narumi muttered, his hand clenching on his trident, amber eyes serious. "But there are hordes of vampires down there. You'd be captured and drained in seconds."

Yuu looked down at the nobles below him and shrugged. He knew, realistically, he couldn't fight them all and win, but with Asuramaru and Mika's help..."Eh, maybe. I'm pretty sure I could take them on if I caught 'em by surprise, though. After all, isn't that what we're here to do- kick ass and gather information?"

"No." Mika's voice was sharp and decisive as he moved around Yuu to face him, walking on the edge of the roof as if he was as light and untethered as a bird. "We're here to gather information, and then to get out of here. These nobles are dangerous, bloodthirsty beings who delight in the pain and suffering of others. The longer we're around them, the closer our camp is to their gathering, the more danger we're in."

He dropped off the edge and shifted closer to Yuu so that their shoulders were touching, almost as if he believed the closer he was to him, the less likely he was to act up. Yuu was pretty sure that his belief was correct- Mika's eyes met his again, and his breath caught in his throat, lost in that sky blue. "What I was saying is that the imbalance of the power in the capitol and the displacement of the queen is bad because it essentially halts any major decisions and actions until everything is settled again. Vampires are not social beings; Sanguinem's workings depends solely on orders and rules carefully set into place so that they can work together without trying to rend each other to pieces."

His eyes shifted away again, back down to the vampires below, and his lip curled in distaste. The edge of a sharp white fang caught the light, then slid back out of sight as his expression blanked. "...I don't know how much information you retained from Shinoa's conversation, but the gist of the matter is that Crowley- the vampire who captured Guren- will not act until it's clear who has power. He's semi-loyal to Ferid, but he obeys whoever holds the throne, and it's the decision of the king or the queen that deals with matters pertaining to the army and the humans driving it."

Mika fell silent. Yuu felt frustration well up in him again- frustration at the circumstances, at his helplessness, at the stupidity of vampire politics- and placed a hand over Mika's, trying to draw his attention. The omega jumped at the touch, looking at Yuu in surprise, and he gave his hand a tight squeeze, focusing all of Mika's attention on him and him alone.

"You still didn't answer my question." Mika was breathing a little faster than usual, his cheeks a faint pink, and Yuu frowned, briefly wondering why he was so worked up about it. Maybe vampires were weird about hand holding- he'd seen some with claws, after all, that would fuck anybody up if they had to deal with that everyday. "Why should we care about the queen? I mean, I know that silver alpha is bad, but from what you said, he's less powerful than she is. Wouldn't it be better if the weaker one held the throne, even if he is chasing us? The queen was the one who declared war, so she's just as bad, if not worse, than this Fetid guy, right?"

Mika glanced briefly at their interlocked hands and shook his head, cheeks reddening. His scent was sweeter somehow, more alluring, which relived Yuu- at least he wasn't upset, that was good, right? Even if it made his head spin and his stomach lurch weirdly (but pleasantly). It was strange- Yuu had scented other omegas in preheat before, he remembered how cloyingly sweet they were, and Mika was nowhere near as strong as them- but he never remembered them having that effect before.

 _Whoa._

Narumi and Mitsuba exchanged glances and stepped back, looking exasperated, and Yuu frowned at them, confused. All that got him was a collectively exasperated glare, which only pissed him off all the more.

If they have a problem with Mika then they've got another thing coming-

"You're wrong." Mika's voice was a little higher than usual, a little more breathy, but his pheromones held no indication of him being sick. "The queen isn't as bad. She's ambitious, yes, and powerful, but she has no interest in chasing us, and she is not nearly as...twisted as Ferid."

The omega shivered and pulled away, almost subconsciously, his hands fisting in his cape. "She was the one who gave me permission to run away with you- ordered me, actually. Her reasons for going to war with the humans has valid reasoning behind it, unlike Ferid's twisted desires...We'd be much safer with her on the throne than Ferid any day."

"Hold up." Narumi stepped forward, jaw clenched, scent thick with sharp beta anger. Mika tensed and glanced his way, his scent dimming as his focus shifted off Yuu, and Yuu growled, a quiet ' _what-the-fuck-are-you-doing'_ to his approaching teammate. "You say the queen has valid reasoning for going to war with us? For slaughtering us and treating us like cattle? You must be sick in the head if you really think that, and I won't tolerate-"

"You humans are experimenting with powers that you should not touch." Mika stood straighter and glared up at Narumi, pupils thinning to slits. Outrage trembled on his shoulders, on his scent, and Yuu felt anger of his own rise as he watched, something within him whispering _defend, hold him back, how_ dare _he speak to him like that, know your place you have no_ _ **right**_ \- but he swallowed it down, knowing that Mika was able to handle himself, even as his alpha raged to protect him. "There are certain laws in place on this earth that should not be broken, and your army and its accomplices have shattered them. Without regulation of your stupidity, this world will end, again."

His voice dropped to a whisper, lips curling back from needlepoint fangs, and his voice trembled with something else, something almost pained. "And don't believe you can get away with thinking I was okay with being treated as livestock. I loathe the vampires for what they did to my family when we were their prey, for the pain they endured while they bore those collars on their necks. I may be cautious and a monster, _human_ , but I am not blind, nor am I stupid. Your kind is as callous and as greedy as the vampires are as arrogant and heartless. Maybe if you looked past the folly of your own pride, you would realize that!"

Narumi's eyes darkened, his teeth baring in a snarl of hatred, but before he could speak or move, Yuu threw himself in between the both of them, his angry growl cutting through the air, louder than ever. Narumi tensed, instinctual wariness flitting over his face as Yuu's young alpha pheromones filled the air, thick with rage and violence and _don't-touch don't-look don't-speak,_ potent enough to cut through Narumi's scent, borderliner and all.

Yuu could scent Mika behind him, his pheromones almost as strong as his own, and his growl strengthened, almost involuntarily. The alpha inside of him was raging, commanding him to stand his ground and protect him, to latch his teeth around Narumi's throat and pin him down until he knew that Mika was his and his only, until he would look at Mika and knew who he belonged to and who belonged to him and feel fear and reverence and-

Mika whimpered behind him, and Yuu's brain shut down.

He whipped around, expecting tears, his stomach convoluting into worried knots, but the look on Mika's face was not one of grief, but one of pained longing, his cheeks flushed bright, pupils round, his knees trembling. Yuu cocked his head to the side, confused, and Mika's eyes widened in alarm, his hands clamping around his throat as if he was trying to silence himself, trying to stifle his scent.

 _...What?_

"Mika, are you okay-?" Yuu took a cautious step forward, slowly reaching out to his best friend. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat, his alpha instincts buzzing, still acutely aware of Narumi looming right behind him. Mika looked like he was on the edge of a panic attack, and Yuu could feel his worry and concern for his safety as sharply as if it was a knife cutting into his side.

Mika's eyes latched onto his, the bright blue contrasting against the soft red of his cheeks. His pupils slitted, fangs hooking over his lip, and, with a single quick movement, he turned and jumped off the edge.

Yuu felt panic shoot through him, and he lunged forward, reaching out to catch the edge of his cape-but a sharp jerk and pain in his throat stopped him, choking the worried cry in his throat. He gagged, clawing at his neck, and Mitsuba released him- but not before she jerked him down to his level so she could look right in his eyes.

"Shh, calm down, he's okay, don't panic." Her purple eyes were worried, but urgent and strict. Yuu protested, and she clapped a hand over his mouth, her scent sharpening to catch his attention. "Listen to me, Yuu! You're going to have to go after him, but not right now. He'll be safe. He's a vampire now, remember? The fall won't kill him, and his senses are far sharper than ours. He must have been overwhelmed. He's okay, do you understand me?" Yuu gulped and slid his gaze away, and she shook him, the movement rattling his teeth together. "Yuu! Listen to me!"

"Okay, okay, I hear you!" He yelped, prying her hand away from his mouth. He was still worried for Mika, but the worry was quickly being erased by guilt- he hadn't considered just how potent their scents must have been to Mika after four years of living in a city that was sterile of almost all smells.

Mitsuba relaxed, a little bit of the hardness fading from her gaze. Behind her, Narumi was shuffling his feet, looking uncharacteristically shameful. "Good. Now, obviously, the both of you fucked up." A hard glare made the both of them duck their heads, their posture sheepish and regretful. "Luckily, though, you didn't fuck up so badly that you jeopardized our mission, though I have my doubts about your chances at building a friendship with Mikaela, Narumi."

Mitsuba glared at him, and he looked away, obviously not willing to openly admit to it. She huffed at him, then turned to Yuu and pushed him to the roof exit, her gaze softening as she looked at him. "Go to Mika and calm him down. I'll have a little...talk with Narumi while you guys are discussing things."

Yuu swallowed hard and nodded, turning tail to race down the staircase, grimly trying to track Mika's scent as he bounded down the crumbling concrete blocks. Mika could be anywhere- he might not be in the building, what would he do if he couldn't find him-

The edge of a familiar scent trailed from a room a flight down and to the right, and, with a spark of nerves, he followed it, determined to sort out the mess that he had made.

-At least, before the vampires below decided to investigate the crashing noises he had made when he'd slipped down a couple of stairs and had used Asuramaru as a buffer against his fall.

...For some reason, Yuu felt like his nightmares were probably going to be a hell of a lot worse tonight.


	17. Chapter 17

There were windowsills and ledges on the side of the ruined building, providing an adequate landing space for a falling vampire. Mika caught onto the edge of one as he passed it and swung up and into the room it opened into, not caring when he broke through the chipped remnants of the windowpane.

There was a stinging pain as glass embedded itself into his shoulder as he passed, the persistence of the sensation indicating that some of the slashes left in his shoulder was dangerously deep, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Heat and shame were coursing through him, the sensations intermingled as one, and he dropped to the floor with a gasp that was half a pained sob, half a desperate whimper.

He clutched his throat again at the soft, whining cry, bitterly cursing himself for what he had done.

It had been a spat. A tiny little spat, nothing more, and he had reacted as if was a fight for his side during the heat of the rutting season, as Yuu was courting him instead of just maintaining equilibrium. It was just a spat, and Yuu had acted as any normal alpha would have, and Mika had called for him as if it was more, just like a whiny little bitch of an omega who couldn't keep their heat to themselves.

A flashing memory of Yuu's scent, of how he looked standing in front of Mika with his head up and his shoulders squared and a growl rolling from his throat appeared in his mind unbidden, and Mika felt the warmth in his limbs spike higher, his chest tightening with the urge to whimper again. It was an enticing sight, far more enticing than it should have been, and Mika curled in on himself more, chanting soft swears in foreign languages in a desperate attempt to regain control of his mind, of his body.

He knew what he would have done had he not leapt off the building, what his instincts would have compelled him to do in response to Yuu's defense, and the thought filled him with shame and self-directed fury. He would have done much more than just whimper for Yuu- he would have pressed himself up against his back and whined until his attention was on him and him alone, he would have tilted his head and bared his neck and pressed his bonding glands against Yuu's teeth in a picture of utter submission, a move that would have called to the alpha's instincts and whispered _"I'm yours, you've proven yourself to me, make me your mate."_ He would have been the very picture of omegan instincts, the very picture of need and want, and he gritted his fangs together and dragged his hands down the sides of his head, feeling the sting of his half-unsheathed claws nick against his scalp.

He could still feel Yuu's gaze on his skin, that worried look that made his stomach roil with shame at the same time it made the omega in his mind arch and purr with pleasure. It had been a look that should never been on Yuu's face, but it had also been a look that had promised Yuu's concern for his wellbeing, his affection and care, and Mika hated how much he craved for it- for any little sign that he was still wanted, still needed after all these years, after years of being by Yuu's side talking of family and fearing the worst after not hearing it reflected back.

He was selfish, and his instincts had latched onto his little slipup and dragged him brutally down with it.

 _Stupid instincts, stupid omegan want, stupid body giving me away, pushing Yuu into situations that he should never have to deal with from me._

The chant was doing nothing to calm him down. He released his hair from his death grip and took several deep breaths, working to uncoil the knot of heat in his belly, but it did nothing, and an experimental rub of his hand against the carpet proved his growing suspicion that his skin was unusually texture-sensitive. He swallowed down the rising panic in his throat and splayed his fingers against one of the glands on his neck, fearing the worst.

The skin over his bonding glands was fever-hot and slick with scent, and the brush of fingers over them sent a shiver through him that only tightened the heat in his body. He pulled his hand away and stared at it, feeling his nose sting with the cloyingly sweet pheromones in the natural oils- pheromones rich with the musk of his identifier, pheromones meant to mark territory, whether that be wood or cloth or skin.

He wrinkled his nose in repulsion and wiped his hand on his pants with a self-disgusted shiver, careful to not touch the carpet. The vampires below were unlikely to track him by scent alone, and marks of his presence were likely to fade before any other humans settled in this building, but territory-marking pheromones were hard to ignore and took quite a while to disappear. The last thing he wanted was for this room to be stamped with a scent mark that screamed 'The omega Mikaela was here and heating and this is now his, fuck off unless you're an alpha worth his time', especially when he had no doubts that Ferid would eventually come after them once they gave his lackeys the slip.

Mika took another deep breath and placed his hands on his knees, rubbing his fingertips idly over the leather of his boots. Memories of his discussion with Yoichi and Shinoa flashed through his mind, laden with little snippets of information that made his frown grow deeper and deeper with ever one that stuck with him. The warmth of his skin, the increase in pheromone production, the whining and desire to submit...

Mika tiredly deduced he was most likely teetering into preheat, and reached for the satchel on his side with the finality of a caught soldier reaching for a suicide pill.

He pulled a suppressant-laden vial from its padded leather slot and stared at it wearily, tilting it back and forth. The vampire blood in it sloshed against the sides, thicker and darker red than the blood pulsing through the veins of a human, and his nose wrinkled in distaste even as the fangs in his mouth ached and grew bitter with venom. His thirst- ever so sharp since his last half-feeding- grew at the sight, until his throat and tongue felt like they were made of sandpaper, and he had no choice but to drink it.

He threw his head back and gulped down a quarter of the blood before he heard a heavy crash from the staircase, a sound that sent a flicker of alarm through his chest. He paused, ignoring the vampiric frustration welling in him at the interruption of a meal, and focused on the sound above him.

A string of curses spoken by a voice he knew all too well echoed from above, and he felt a thrill of panic shoot through him, not wanting Yuu to catch him in the midst of a feeding. He shivered at the thought and quickly swallowed the rest of Krul's blood, slipping the empty vial back next to the last full one just as the feet thudding down the concrete stairs approached his door and Yuu burst through the entrance.

The alpha crashed the door against the wall with a _bang_ that made Mika jump and Yuu wince sheepishly. It was clear from the surprise on his face that he hadn't expected to be so loud, and as his racing heart settled, Mika felt a slight smile appear on his face, Yuu's characteristic recklessness amusing him even as his stomach lurched with embarrassment at the conversation that was sure to come.

...Actually, his heart hadn't settled down at all. Mika rubbed absently at his chest, feeling his heartbeat pulsing against his fingers. Huh. Weird.

"Found you." Yuu was panting, apparently from his run down the stairs, his intense green eyes focused on Mika as he slowly approached. Something in his gaze made warmth pulse through Mika, even as he could feel the icy effects of the suppressants spreading through his veins, and he cursed and tugged his collar up closer around his throat in a vain attempt to shield his scent from Yuu. "Hey, are you okay-?"

"I'm fine." He wasn't. Yuu placed a hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him, and Mika closed his eyes as the urge to lean against him and bury his face in his neck swept through him. "I was just..."

"A little overwhelmed," Yuu finished for him quietly. Mika looked up at him, surprised at his answer, but Yuu didn't look at him, his eyes downcast and filled with a shame that was off-putting. "Yeah. Mitsuba told me. I forgot that you aren't all that used to being around other scents."

And that was...not at all what Mika expected him to say, but he supposed it was true, and it didn't encroach on the topic of why he had reacted the way he did so he didn't push it. Yuu's fingers trailed down his arm until his hand was resting over Mika's own, and he slipped his fingers through the gaps between Mika's so that they were holding hands again, his hand squeezing Mika's in a silent apology.

That was the second time in one day. Mika blinked at the sight of their hands intertwined, his mind fuzzy with the thought of how right it looked, and squeezed right back, feeling his heart warm with something that had nothing to do with his heat symptoms.

"It's okay," he murmured. Yuu looked up at him hopefully, the glint of bright green through his lashes giving him an almost coy look, and Mika cursed the fates and all the possible gods above him for how damn _kissable_ he looked. He settled for gently pressing their foreheads together instead, swallowing hard as Yuu's warm breath ghosted lightly over his lips, a phantom of what Mika truly wanted. "I overreacted. I'm sorry for scaring you."

Mika heard the tiny hitch in Yuu's breath at his proximity. The alpha's eyes dropped from his, looking down somewhere Mika couldn't track, and Mika felt a little flutter in his chest as he briefly entertained the thought of Yuu looking at his lips, wishing to kiss him just as much as Mika wished to do to him.

The thought was short-lived, and he brushed it away as Yuu breathed out a soft laugh, a grin appearing on his face as he gently nuzzled his nose against Mika's, one of his hands reaching up to ruffle the omega's hair playfully. The gesture was intimate in a way that made it feel like the years they spent apart had never happened, and, almost without thinking about it, Mika pushed back into the gesture and purred.

Yuu grinned teasingly at the noise, eyes sparkling, and Mika caught himself with a groan of annoyance, the purr in his throat cutting shorr.

The alpha leaned forward, bumping noses again, and waggled his eyebrows. "Meow."

Mika scowled. Yuu laughed, high and happy, and the omega felt warmth creep into his face as he blushed, his heart fluttering at the sound. He didn't think he would ever tire of seeing Yuu smile, hearing him laugh.

 _Shit. I'm fucked._

"Very funny, Yuu." He pressed a hand to his cheek, frowning at the warmth radiating off his skin, and pouted at the alpha like he did when they were kids. Yuu took one look at his expression and laughed harder than ever, hooking his fingers and holding them up so it looked like Mika had cat ears.

Mika rolled his eyes and smacked him lightly on the nose, smiling slightly as Yuu giggled an 'ow' and glared at him. "Come on, now, I'm not a cat."

"No," wheezed Yuu. "But you look it. I don't know how I missed it before, what with the eyes and the fangs and the hair and all." He smiled at Mika again, warm and cheerful, and Mika felt his blush deepen. "And the purring! I always thought it was just some omega thing, but Yoichi never did it. You really are a cat."

He'd laughed so hard, there were tears in his eyes. Mika rolled his eyes again and sat back, tugging on their joined hands so Yuu sat up, and allowed himself a tiny smile. He wouldn't have done it otherwise- he hated how it let his fangs gleamed- but Yuu's happiness was contagious, and the part of him that was pure omega was buzzing happily at pleasing his alpha. "No, Yoichi wouldn't do it. It's actually a vampire-only thing."

Yuu's smile faltered, a hint of sadness returning, and Mika flinched, feeling his own happiness dropping. His scent, still far more potent than it should have been, dropped with him, and Mika cursed himself as Yuu's eyes widened, the alpha pushing himself closer into Mika's personal space as he fretted.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yuu's hand was on his thigh. Mika looked down at it and gulped, feeling his heart flutter as Yuu leaned closer, his eyes searching Mika's. "I'm sorry for bringing that up. I don't mind if it's a vampire thing, really, I think it's cute with you regardless of why you have it or not!"

 _Cute._

 _Yuu just called me cute._

Mika flushed again, and he averted his eyes, cursing himself again as his head tipped in submission, baring his neck to the alpha his body thought was his. Yuu frowned and tilted his head with him, obviously thinking Mika was just doing it to avoid eye contact, and Mika felt both happy and disappointed that Yuu had just missed his silent plea.

 _Not now, Mikaela!_

"Thank you, Yuu." _Please bond with me. No wait, don't do that, FUCK-_ "I appreciate it."

His scent rose again despite his unwillingness, the pheromones of a needy omega filling the air, and he nearly growled at himself in frustration. Fuck, he really needed scentblockers. Or at least some lessons in how to control his pheromones.

He chanced a glance at Yuu's face, an apology for his misconduct at hand, and then immediately wished he hadn't.

Yuu's gaze was locked on his still-exposed neck, his nostrils flaring as he took in Mika's scent, his tongue flicking idly over his teeth. His eyes were lit with a feral light, something deep and dark and decisively _alpha_ glowing in the green depths, and his brows were furrowed as if confused, the hint of a growl in his throat as he breathed out.

Mika's instincts surged at the sight, his gaze sliding away as Yuu leaned forward and sniffed at the crook of his neck. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, pounding harder and faster than it had in years, and though the suppressants blocked the heat from resurging in his veins it took all he had in him to repress the urge to lay back, to bare his throat and chest to the alpha above him-

-And then Yuu leaned back and blinked the haze from his eyes and frowned at him in a manner that highly suggested that he had no idea what had just transpired. Mika felt relieved even as his instincts mourned the loss with an ache that the omega could feel from the tips of his fangs to the bones in his toes, an ache that, despite logic, cried _'Why not me?'_

"...Your scent was strange." The fierce look lingered in Yuu's eyes for a heartbeat longer, and then he blinked and it disappeared. "Kinda, funny really? I don't remember you being like that as kids."

Mika blinked at him for that, not really sure why Yuu seemed so puzzled by that. "...Yuu, I hadn't presented yet, and neither had you. Of course I wouldn't smell the same as I did when we were younger, I'm mature now."

Yuu traced a pattern over the back of their hands, frowning as if something had troubled him. "Maybe, but I've been around other omegas in the past? I had class with them, they went into heat and shit and it never really got to me. You're just...really strong. I dunno, maybe it's because you're so familiar? I mean, I hated pretty much everyone around me before I knew you were alive. Maybe it's that."

 _Or maybe it's something else._

Mika took a long, slow breath in, trying to calm the excitement and hope rising in his chest, then stopped and frowned as a sound came from below. He twisted his head, focusing on the slight scraping noise, but he couldn't...

"Mika?" Yuu's voice was filled with apprehension as he watched him, his hand creeping to his cursed sword's hilt as he spoke. "What's wrong?"

The scraping noise came again, closer this time, and Mika felt dread and fury wash over him as he tied a meaning to the noise he heard below.

That was the scratch of a vampire's claws on concrete. Whether or not it was by chance, one of the nobles from below had found them.

He barely had the time to push Yuu up and away before two vampires appeared in the doorway, their steps as silent as the wings of an owl, dead, fishlike red eyes staring dully at them as they reached for their weapons. Mika identified them as commons as soon as he saw the lifelessness behind their eyes, and, with a spark of rage, flashed forward and beheaded them before they could move to draw their swords.

Yuu shouted incoherently from behind him, and Mika felt his skin prickle as his demon weapon awoke, sending a wash of power throughout the room. It cleared the disintegrating vampire corpses from the area, and Mika coughed, feeling his nose and eyes sting at the remnants as Yuu stepped forward, the poisonous green of Asuramaru's blade lighting up his face.

"Nice work, Mika," he growled, his features positively murderous. Mika's instincts preened at the praise, and he blinked irritably, sending them away with a pulse of bloodthirsty rage that sent the vine tendrils of his sword digging into his flesh with nary a word. "But are there any more-?"

A soft chuckle interrupted him, the click of claws retracting from stone alerting them to another presence, a being that had snuck in while Mika and Yuu had been blinded by the ash of the fallen vampires. They twisted their heads up as one, watching with disbelief as a vampire with clear, cunning red eyes and the adornments of a noble detached from the ceiling and landed gracefully in the space between them.

"A wondrous performance, but nothing I wouldn't expect from the progeny of the queen." The vampire smiled pleasantly, pale white-blonde hair falling over his eyes, and drew his sword with a _shick_ that sent chills racing down Mika's spine. He knew this vampire- he'd seen him before as he wandered Ferid's mansion, felt his gaze linger hungrily over his neck and shoulders as he had crouched by the queen's side, his newly-wrought predatory gaze and watchdog title failing to deter the noble from his quest for his blood. "Progenitor's blood or not, however, you're still nothing but a fledgling to us, Mikaela. Perhaps you should throw down your weapons before you do something foolish and provoke me- after all, you are still weak, and if you force me to subdue you, I can guarantee you that you would not last long."


	18. Chapter 18

One of two things happened then.

One: Mika angled his sword up and leapt forward, swinging it in an arc of blood red steel. The vampire noble- eyes still fixated on the cusp of Mika's throat, oh what a _greedy_ bastard, still so fixated on tasting him after years of being unable to - easily deflected the blow, though his arm shook and he was hard-pressed to avoid Mika as the younger vampire's blade scythed through the air once again, aiming for his eyes so that those hideously bright red pupils were no longer fixated on him.

And two: the vampire forgot Yuu's presence.

Not two seconds after Mika and the noble traded blows, the room was swept with a crackle of demon magic. Yuu shouted words lost to the roar of the wind, and the wall behind him lit up with a ghastly green glow, the poisonous green flames licking at his heels bleeding into blood red as a peacock's tail of swords fanned out behind him.

Mika nearly stumbled as he dodged an attack, startled and distracted by Yuu's newfound power. His eyes flickered to his foe briefly as the noble's blade whistled by his head, but his attention was inevitably drawn back to Yuu, transfixed by the sight to the side of him; there was a dark, feral brightness in the alpha's eyes as he stared their enemy down, face twisted in a mask of hatred, but rather than feeling fear or worry course through him at the sight, Mika felt fierce joy and almost unmeasurable amount of pride.

 _My pack. My mate. Strong heart, strong mind, perfect alpha; I am gifted to be a part of you._

His fangs buzzed with the strength of his crooning purr, but he had no time to ruminate on his instinct-driven thoughts as the conflagration of swords swirled through the air and flew towards the dueling vampires, bloody red flames licking around their blades. Mika ducked to the side and darted away, vampiric fear of the sight running through him like a live wire, even as the logical side of his mind acknowledged that the swords were not meant for him, that Yuu would never hurt him.

The vampire noble's eyes widened in brief shock, his pale face gaining a sickly glow as Asuramaru's attack converged on him. For a brief second, Mika was sure he would be run through, but then a flick of his wrist and a twist of his head pulled him away from certain death, a deflected sword clattering to the side before shimmering into nothingness.

Mika twirled his blade, tense with anticipation, his body trembling as the taste of vampire blood and ash hit his nose and tongue. The noble- even with his mind racing, even with all those years with Ferid, Mika still couldn't remember his name- hadn't fully escaped the attack. He could see the vampire's shock in the way his lips pulled back from his fangs, the way his ears tilted back towards his head, and then the startled look was gone and there was a snarl rising from his throat and his jaw dropped open as he hissed with fury, elongating claws tearing away his gloves as he turned towards Yuu.

"Stupid livestock!" Yuu _roared_ at that insult, something angry and feral deepening his shout into a sound of pure alpha fury, and Mika's leg trembled with instinctive fear and worry even though he knew that all was still well, that Yuu was not harmed yet. The noble settled into a low crouch, ready to pounce, and drew back his sword as he growled at the young human alpha. "How _dare_ you lay a hand on me! I will tear you from limb to limb!"

The noble's shoulders tensed, an imperceptible shift, and Mika leapt as the vampire pounced, bringing his weight down into the middle of his back as he struck his palms against the back of his neck. His aim was true, the hilt of his sword bashing into the back of the enemy's head as the vines retracted from his veins and his free hand snaked around to grab his throat, his own bone-rattling hiss loud in his ears as he pinned the larger bloodsucker to the floor under him.

The whole action had taken less than a half-second.

Mika grimly thanked Krul for her forced instruction on hunting methods and fighting tactics as he worked to keep the noble down, her brutal training more than capable of dealing with larger opponents, no matter the size or age difference- an asset for a tiny queen, and, now, a starving teenager. Mika weighed next-to-nothing and was barely more than a fledgling, and yet the noble's struggles grew increasingly more feeble the longer Mika stayed pressed down on his back, half-unsheathed claws hooking into his throat, knees kicking and fangs snapping as he worked to counter the noble's defensive attacks.

Yuu blinked once, twice, a red haze momentarily obscuring his vision as his demon sped up his reaction time to one equal to the dueling vampires, and then he was by Mika's side in a second, pinning the noble's legs by laying the flat of his blade against them, letting Asuramaru cut into the flesh each time the vampire thrashed. The noble growled, harsh and angry, and Mika smashed his head against the floor, feeling grimly satisfied as the vampire blinked, momentarily blinded.

 _Maybe we can-_

Yuu shifted, his grip on Asuramaru's hilt tightening as if he was about to kill the vampire. Mika clicked his fangs and shook his head, catching his attention, and, when Yuu's battle-feral gaze latched onto him, mouthed _'_ _not yet'_.

Yuu cocked his head, lips quirking back from his teeth as he considered, a movement closer to that of a wolf than that of a human, and Mika felt a thrill race through him, not sure if his request would be answered by Yuu or the alpha within him. While his own instincts were now thrumming with the ice-cold control of an awakening progenitor, he could see that for Yuu it was not so- for Yuu, his instincts were lost in the trill of the hunt, awakened with the scent of blood and the thrill of the chase and conflict of battle.

And then the sharp alertness in Yuu's gaze subsided, melting into something warm and mischievous and almost playful, and he nodded back, mouthing _'_ _give him hell'._

Mika blinked at him, grateful for his compliance, and turned back to the task at hand.

"Now then," he murmured, pressing his thumbs deep into the soft flesh under the noble's jawline. Eyes as red as freshly spilled blood gazed up at him, burning with hatred, and he let out a soft, catlike growl, feeling the tendons of the vampire's neck creak under his fingers as he gripped harder. He could tear off this bloodsucker's head as easily as if it was a paper doll, and the noble below him knew it- he could see that spark of instinctual fear flashing under the loathing, a fear that he only ever saw when vampires bowed before Krul's wrath. "How about you make yourself useful, and tell us what's going on?"

He emphasized his request with an almost imperceptible twitch of his fingers, reminding the noble not to challenge his power. He could feel Krul in every movement he made, in the icy power in his expression, her influence, her legacy settling heavily on his shoulders as he mimicked the ancient power that had brought so many prideful predators to their knees. The vampire under him flinched and shivered, mouth opening slightly, pupils contracting with fear, though his gaze did not fall away from Mika's.

"So you're more of your sire than Ferid let on." The noble's voice was filled with smooth, false amusement, his stung pride not allowing him to bow just yet. Mika arched a brow, unamused and impatient, and the vampire shivered again, his pretense of control flickering under his own fear. Behind them, Yuu made a soft noise of confusion, and the vampire chuckled, some strength returning to his gaze as he figured out what was going on.

"What, third progenitor's progeny? You didn't tell your pet human whose noble blood gave you new life? A shame, I could have sworn Bathory said you were closer to each other than that." He glanced back at Yuu out of the corner of his eye, amused with the indignant growl he had made at the term 'pet'. "Don't get too cocky now, livestock. Cut off my legs, and I'll cut off yours. The seventh progenitor may need you alive, but he did not say that he wanted you whole."

Yuu's eyes darkened, and Mika snarled, slamming the noble's head into the ground to punish him for implying such a thing. Blood roared through his ears as his temper flared, the little voice in the back of his mind chanting _mine, mine, he's mine_ _ **you don't fucking touch him-**_

"Call him livestock again," he hissed, digging his claws into the noble's neck until blood trickled down his neck and gurgled up through his mouth, disgusting and sluggish and tantalizingly red-"And your end will be painful and prolonged. Now listen up, shut your fucking mouth, and tell me what the fuck is going on before I make you wish you were never turned."

The vampire's eyes flickered strangely, his ears angling back, and his gaze dropped from Mika's, sliding his fangs back into his mouth. The submission pleased something in Mika as much as it unnerved him, the omega in him disturbed by the fact that a once-higher dynamic- for this noble was no omega under him- submitting to one who was not meant to be feared, but to provide comfort.

The vampire half of him couldn't care less.

"Good." Mika shifted his jaw and clenched his throat, producing a soft, sonorous clicking noise that was inaudible to human ears. It was a sound unique to vampires, a sound that came before learned language, when they were still lone hunters who stalked the night and tore the throats out of those who dared to set foot within their territorial boundaries. The noble threw a frightened, furious glance at him out of the corner of his eye, the snakelike slits of his eyes flaring into circles, then contracting again.

Civilized now or not, he had clearly caught the message hidden within it- a warning noise made by those whose turning blood was of high origins, a sound made to strike frightened obedience in all who approached them. The last time Mika had heard it, it had been produced by Krul, and he could remember how it had stricken him with a chill that had raced up his spine and tingled in his head, and he could remember how it had made him feel like a mouse in the shadow of a hawk- insignificant, weak, helpless.

 _Obey me or I will end you._

"...Fine," The noble hissed it like the words were poison on his tongue, but Mika could hear the fear behind it. "I, as well as everyone else funded by Lord Ferid, were ordered to search for the queen's whelp- ah, I mean you, your majesty- and an alpha human in his care with green eyes and black hair and told to bring them back to Sanguinem, preferably drugged, submissive, and docile. Why he wanted this, he did not tell us- but he offered a hefty prize for whoever would have captured them, especially you." He winced and hissed as Yuu pressed his sword a little deeper into his legs, baring his fangs furiously, but at a glance from Mika, said nothing. "He made a mention to the fact that your sire was of high rank, but he also said that you were weak and half-dead from lack of drinking. We thought that you would be easier to subdue."

He did not apologize for his actions, even under the strain of death, but then again, Mika never believed he would, nor did he ask for it. Even with the scent of Yuu's steadily- growing rage rising behind him, even with his own irritation spiking under his skin, he kept his cool- one slipup, and the vampire in his claws would catch it, and the last thing Mika needed was for this sorry excuse of a noble to flip them and rake his much longer, thicker claws down Mika's front. His healing might be powerful from his recent feeding, but he didn't think that being disemboweled would make the cut for 'things a half-vampire can survive without experiencing severe problems or a still-standing risk of death'. For the first time, he cursed his vampiric weaknesses- his claws might be strong enough to tear our throats and scythe through nets with little difficulty, but they were as weak as a kitten's when compared to the thick, stone-piercing hooks that a fully-turned could unsheathe. If this vampire wished to engage in a fight, traditional-style, he would be sorely outmatched

Something in his ire must have seeped through his scent and posture, because Yuu's growl increased in volume, and his scent grew sharper, muskier, the scent of an alpha trying to calm down a comrade. Mika stiffened as he felt Yuu's hand brush against his back, then relaxed as the alpha's fingers trailed lightly over his nape, a contented calm spreading over his anger like butter over a burn.

As helpful as it was in retaining his focus, Mika couldn't help but feel a twinge of bewilderment as Yuu's touch slowly pulled away, the lack of his instinctive panic confusing him. His fear of scruffing was something that had been a constant from the start of his presentation, his bad experiences with alphas (Ferid) scruffing him to shut him up exuberating his natural wariness about being rendered harmless against his will. For him to feel little concern when Yuu had soothed him was...strange.

 _It's because it's Yuu. It's because you want him, and he's the only person you trust, and it's because you know he will never hurt you, and it's because you lo-_

He gritted his teeth and dug his fangs into the bottom of his lip, not letting himself complete that sentence, not now, not when he had other things to be worrying about, things that had nothing to do with the alpha at his back.

 _Shut up._

"That's not enough." He focused again on the face of the vampire beneath him, letting his eyes trail over the white gleam of the noble's fangs as he curled his lip in dismayed annoyance. "I don't care to hear if Bathory wanted me alive. What I am interested in, however, is why he did not presume to come after me himself."

The harsh bark of the noble's laughter was wet and strained with Mika's claws puncturing his throat, but it was unpleasant and condescending all the same. Mika narrowed his eyes, feeling the sting of a pulse of demon power at his back as Yuu increased the magic in his weapon, but the vampire's smirk didn't go away even as the distinct smell of vampire ash befouled the air.

"Ah, so Lord Ferid was correct- you really are the queen's watchdog." He watched amusedly as Mika hissed, unpleasant smile growing wider, showing more teeth. "What, youngling? Thought I wouldn't get by your little ruse? I know you're attached to her- Lord Ferid keeps nothing unimportant from us when we embark on a hunt. He made mention that you might enquire about your queen upon capture."

Mika's fingers dug into the noble's neck harder, claws sliding out a little bit more. The vampire coughed, wet and red and strained, but Mika did not relent.

"Who I belong to and who I am personally loyal to are none of your concern." There was ice in his voice as he spoke, a clear sign of his tolerance wearing thin, and the vampire's eyes dropped back to the floor once again, a pained grimace exposing fangs covered in a thin film of his own blood. Mika felt a pang of cold, bestial satisfaction at the sight. "What is your concern, however, is whether or not I rip your head off for sticking your nose into my personal business. Now, I will ask again: why didn't Ferid Bathory pursue me personally? If your answer is not to my satisfaction I will not hesitate to slaughter you."

The noble laughed hoarsely. "You'd kill me anyways." He fell silent for a second, his blood red eyes studying a piece of glass, then he glanced back up and Mika.

"Lord Ferid did not pursue you personally because he is busy challenging the queen for the throne. Sanguinem's higher workings have been on lockdown for weeks now; his order to capture you was the last thing he told us before he confronted her. We have not seen him since."

That was not the news that Mika wanted. He exhaled slowly, working to keep his breaths calm and even, and frowned in contemplation. Behind him, Yuu made an inquisitive noise, no doubt confused about what was going on, but Mika held up a finger to silence him.

 _Sorry, Yuu, but I'll have to explain this to you later._

"And the queen?" There was blood clotting under his claws, unpleasantly cool and sticky against his skin. He fought back a grimace. "What of her state?"

The noble shifted, wincing, and shrugged. "No idea. Her laws and orders are still standing, but no one has seen her. We suspect that she lured Ferid into one of the old tunnels so that they may fight there without interruption, but that was only a suspicion at this point."

So the throne was still technically under Krul's rule. Mika let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and nodded curtly. "Understood."

"Wonderful." There was bitter sarcasm in the noble's voice as he spoke, then, with a gurgling rasp, he coughed, spitting up clots of congealed blood. "Now, if I may ask, can you let me go, your majesty? I gave you all the information you know. There's no need for you to keep me."

There was a gleam in the noble's eyes that Mika didn't like- a gleam that he knew all too well. It was the look he'd seen among the most power-hungry of the vampires, the look of someone who would speak of your glory in gilded tones and then tear out your heart as soon as you'd turn your back. He remembered again how the vampire beneath him had looked when he was watching Ferid- that hungry, reverent gaze, darkened with jealous want, and how he had looked at Mika like he was a piece of meat, a meal to be devoured even when he was a new-turned fledgling lingering by Krul's side, even when he had grown large enough for his fangs to rival those of a full-turned and he had gained a reputation for being a coldhearted machine who hated humans and vampires alike, Krul's perfect little guard dog. He remembered how he had looked at Yuu like he was filth and referred to him as Mika's pet and felt hate curdle in his heart, dark and angry and aching with the pain of past wounds, of old humiliations.

He knew exactly what would happen if he let this monster go free- even if he pledged loyalty to him, he would still return to gather more of those lower than him and go after them, endowed with new knowledge about what Mika was capable of and what he could do to defeat him. He would hurt Yuu, and he would drag Mika back to dark hallways and caverns and places of blood and death and _pain-_

He growled softly, the noise no more than a minute rumble deep in his chest, and signaled Yuu, feeling a tingle rush down his spine as the alpha's attention snapped onto him. No. There was no room for mercy here. He would not allow one of those who hurt him to run free ever again.

"I _could_ let you go." He scrutinized the noble's face, drinking in the sight of his wounds and the taste of his fear-scent, and tightened his hold. "But I think I won't. You made a mistake by challenging me today, _bloodsucker_. Pray that those you left behind won't do the same."

Terror and anger flashed over the noble's face a split second before he let out a garbled shriek and tried to buck them off, his terrified intimidation hiss a disgusting, rasping gurgle in his throat. Mika moved with the motion, sank his fingers into the corded tendons of the noble's throat, and _twisted,_ feeling bones groan and snap under his fingers even as the burn of demon magic scorched his skin, Yuu's blade cutting through the vampire's body like butter as Mika tore his head off.

The body disintegrated into smoke and ash, billowing through the room like poison, and both alpha and omega coughed, waving bloodied hands and squinting to clear the dust from the air and their eyes. Mika felt the gummy sensation of cooling flesh and blood sticking to his claws and fingers and winced in disgust, discretely wiping his hands on his pants to clean them before he sheathed his claws.

There was a quiet pause as he and Yuu stared at each other, silently processing what had just happened, and then Yuu's face slowly split into a wide smile, his scent spiking as his excitement peaked.

"Mika, that was fucking awesome!" Mika paused, not expecting the praise, and flushed, feeling a smile of his own tug at his lips as Yuu danced from foot to foot, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "You just! Ripped his fucking head off! Just like that! Holy fuck! And you were so fucking cool when you were scaring the shit out of him, I got goosebumps when you were talking, look, see? How did you do that? Whenever I try to terrify those vamps all they do is laugh at me!"

Mika blinked, trying to process the question, and shrugged. The sick feeling that sunk in him every time he used his inhuman strength to kill was slowly ebbing with every word Yuu spoke, the reassurance that Yuu did not hate and fear him for what he had just done far more relieving than he would have expected."

"Well, it wasn't just me alone that added the fear factor," he noted, watching in amusement as Yuu kicked the vampire's remains and then flipped it off with both hands. "I'm not really all that scary. As you well know, I look more like a dandelion than anything."

Yuu snorted. "An intimidating dandelion." He tore his eyes off the sooty tatters of the vampire's uniform and tilted his head at Mika curiously, a slight flush on his face from his exertions. Mika's heart skipped a beat, his breath stuttering as he tried valiantly to gather his thoughts- Yuu was just too fucking _cute_ , it was unfair, and he was pretty sure that the longing pain in his chest wasn't anything too fatal but _holy shit_ \- "Why are they scared of you, then? I thought you did a pretty good job scaring him on your own."

Mika took a couple steadying breaths to calm down his heart and bit his lip, contemplating whether or not he should tell him. He wasn't so close to Krul that insulting her would pain him too deeply- though he was starting to doubt that the more he missed her- but he could remember all too well the way Yuu would speak of killing the vampire queen, the way his eyes gleamed with a killing light as he spoke of how he would bring her to her knees and topple her throne and liberate the children of the livestock factions with her death.

 _How would he react if I told him that in vampire terms, I'm technically the prince of Sanguinem?-_

"Well," he started slowly, fiddling with the gilded hilt of his sword. "It kinda has to do with the vampire who turned me. She was...kind of important."

Yuu's eyes widened, and he hummed in understanding, sympathy and a flash of guilt flickering over his face. Mika blinked, not expecting that. "The rank of the vampire that turned you determines how strong of a vampire you become, right? So how powerful was she?"

 _I'm surprised you knew that_ , Mika thought, but didn't mention it. "That is correct. And, well, she was kind of...a progenitor. The third one, to be exact. And the queen."

There was silence.

And then Yuu exploded.

"The queen, Mika?! The fucking queen?!" His voice spluttered, eyes wide, face reddening as he processed it. "The _queen_ turned you? You're a _prince_?"

Mika shrank back, wincing at the noise. "Well, kind of-"

"Holy shit. This changes everything. Holy fuck." Yuu paced in a circle, swinging his hands up with his emotions, and Mika dodged Asuramaru's swung blade with a wince. "I'm best friends with the fucking vampire prince."

"Is that...a bad thing?" Mika edged back out of Asuramaru's radius and raised an eyebrow at Yuu, not quite sure what the alpha was rambling about. "Um...is that a problem?"

"No." Yuu swung around to face him, eyes twinkling, grinning wildly. Mika flinched and wondered briefly if Yuu had taken leave of his senses. "On the contrary, this is great. When we take over Sanguinem and save Guren, we can thank her!"

 _What the fuck_ , Mika thought, mind black with shock. "Thank her? Why?"

"Because she saved you." Yuu smiled at him again, softer, and Mika felt a familiar dizzying rush sweep over him at the sheer warmth and gratitude in Yuu's gaze. "That's a good enough reason for me to be grateful to her for."

 _Holy fuck._

Mika was contemplating the possibilities of him fainting from the sheer amount of emotions he was experiencing when there was a crashing noise from the doorway, Mitsuba and Narumi shoving their way into the room, grim and covered in vampire dust. Mika flinched as the air crackled with demon magic, weighing on him heavily, and turned to look at them curiously.

"You guys okay? We heard screeching." Mitsuba's eyes flickered from Mika to Yuu and then glanced at the patches of ash on the ground, understanding flooding her bright purple eyes. "Ah, nevermind, I see. So I take it your conversation went well?"

"Just great." Yuu swung an arm over Mika's shoulder and pulled him close as he grinned at her, and Mika melted, feeling his knees give out as he squeaked in surprise. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed, though he thought he saw Narumi roll his eyes. "We ran into a couple bloodsuckers, but Mika dealt with them just fine!"

"I can see that." Mitsuba glanced again at the smears of ash and tattered clothes on the ground, then looked up again, gaze strict and serious. "We're heading back to camp. Some of the vampires noticed us watching them and are now debating whether or not they should announce our presence or drain us by themselves. Luckily, their solitary nature meant that they did not try to mob-attack us yet, but we only have a matter of time before the nobles realized that the idiots they sent aren't coming back."

Yuu nodded and gently shoved Mika away, patting him on the shoulder as he did so. Mika idly wondered just how much blood his face could hold before it exploded.

"Got it." Yuu took three steps forward, then turned and held a hand out to Mika with a sly smirk. Mika shot him a quizzical look, but Yuu's smile only widened. "You coming, _prince?_ "

 _Oh._

Mitsuba choked. Mika flushed and shot a warning glance to Yuu, who snickered playfully, and took Yuu's offered hand, feeling something warm, light, and happy tingling in his stomach and leaving him light-headed as Yuu threaded their fingers together and pulled him to his side.

Behind them, Narumi snorted.

"Did their conversation go well?" He muttered. Mika threw a glare over his shoulder, but the beta's eyes were squinted shut, the thumb and index finger of his free hand pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed, and shook his head slowly. "Oh gee. I fucking wonder."


	19. Chapter 19

Their boots were uncomfortably loud as they thudded down the broken concrete stairs, the breathing of the humans louder as they focused their priorities on not falling, and Mika felt his ears pin back in annoyance at the cacophony they were making, his battle-tense hunter's instincts screaming with the need to stay quiet. Yuu had long ago released his hand, knowing that there wasn't wide enough space for two sword-wielding teenagers to cross side-by-side, but Mika was already itching for the content, the needy, touch-starved part of him that he'd buried for four years crying out angrily at him for letting go.

The faint scent of vampire musk, skittering claws, a flash of fangs, and his sword sliced through the air, the burning ash of the ambushing common vampire billowing through the narrow passageway as he smote it in two. He'd moved automatically, on reflex, killing without realizing he'd moved. Yuu, Mitsuba, and Narumi stared at him once the smoke and their coughing fits subsided, astounded by his speed, and, thin-lipped, he returned to his previous spot in the formation, trying to conceal his jangling nerves with silent nonchalance.

It didn't entirely work- even with him keeping his cool, the pheromones of a distressed omega soon stuck to him like a second skin- but thankfully, no one commented on it, and they were moving again without further comment. Mika could feel, however, the way they pressed closer to him, especially Yuu, and even though he knew it was merely instinct, it bothered him all the same.

 _Why do you protect me- because you value my life, or because I am an omega? I may be anxious and worried, but I am still a vampire. I could still kill you. Surely you haven't forgotten about that, haven't you?_

The remnants of dead vampires tinting the silver of his sword's blade mocked him. He slid his hand further down the hand-and-a half hilt and rubbed a thumb against the guard, feeling the magnetic pull of the enchantments woven into the gold tug against his skin, the blood-seeping vines trembling in their confinements, awaiting his command. He took a deep breath, slowing his heart, and felt the sword still, returning to dormancy as his anxiousness ebbed. It unnerved him, knowing that the unliving object in his hand was fine-tuned to his every whim- it was yet another reminder that he was not human, for no human could feel the fine-tuned intricacies of spellwork that made a first-class vampire weapon.

He thought briefly of Yuu's sword, Asuramaru- a living blade, host to a demon as it was- and wondered what would happen were he to handle it. Then the image of vines burrowing their way into Yuu's flesh, draining the life from him as greedily as any vampire struck him, and, with a shiver, he resolved to never, ever let Yuu handle his weapon.

Yuu probably wasn't so stupid as to try to activate a vampire sword, but...

No. No, he definatly was.

They reached the lobby of the ruined building with little conflict (and thank god for that- Mika was getting tired of ducking his head so Mitsuba's axe wouldn't clip him) and stood there for a minute, the humans panting slightly with the exertion of running down stairs fully-armed. Mika circled the group, anxious to leave, feeling his lips curl back from his fangs as he glanced out at the clear stretch of forest visible through the cracked windows.

He could feel the buzz under his skin that signified more of his kind nearby, and he could smell the taint of the underground all around them, the stale, vampiric tang of age-faded identifiers souring his tongue as he tasted the air. His own scent, coupled with the scents of the humans flanking him, were overwhelmingly omnipotent compared to the ones out there, like beacons pointing to where they were, and though there was no wind to carry their taint to the vampires outside, he couldn't help but worry about what would happen were they to bother with checking the air. Being overwhelmed in the confined space of the apartment lobby would be incredibly dangerous for him and the humans, even if they had a freshly-fed high-ranker fighting on their side.

Mika chuffed softly under his breath and turned back to face the group, relieved to note that they looked like they'd recovered enough to continue, startled to see Mitsuba looking at him like she was trying to catch his eye. He met her gaze and inclined his head at her, silently acknowledging that he had registered her attention, and was even more surprised to see her approach him, no hint of hesitance or fear in her scent or posture as she did so.

 _Why-_

"Can you scent them?" Mitsuba had taken care to drop her voice to a whisper, but to Mika, wired up and ready to run, it still rang as clearly as she had shouted. "The vampires outside, I mean. How close are they to us?" Her eyes slid away from his to linger on the treeline, the contemplative frown on her face deepening as she thought. "I don't want to order us into a running formation and then have vamps drop on us from above."

So she was asking him, a vampire who was by no means friendly, for advice- advice that could potentially rule who survived the run back to camp. Incredible. Mika wasn't sure if he was impressed with her bravery or disgusted with her naivety.

"Of course I can scent them. They aren't exactly trying to hide their presence." Mika's tone came out harsher than he meant it to be, but the human didn't flinch- if anything, she looked unimpressed. Given the fact that she was well-known in the group for her habit of issuing every order like a professional drill sergeant, regardless of whether or not she needed to, he couldn't honestly say he was surprised. "There are no other vampires within this building, but there are some in close proximity, most likely perched on..." He let his mouth fall open slightly, collecting the scents on his tongue as he swept his head up to track them, then focused back on Mitsuba. "-The front lamppost a building down on out left, and the tree near the center right, some yards ahead of our building. The two out there are lesser nobles, each with at least one lesser-ranked consort. According to their pheromone markers"- Mika wrinkled his nose at this in disgust, baring one long, glittering fang without realizing it- "they're more interested in securing their rankings among the others to be searching for prey. I'd say that the best way for you to escape them is to let me scent mark you"- both he and Mitsuba winced at this-"and to leave for the camp in pairs. It won't be foolproof, but they're less likely to chase after you if you smell like vampire."

Mitsuba grimaced, and Mika braced himself, ready for a shitstorm. But the beta made no move to rebuke or dismiss him, only moving to look out the window with a contemplative frown. "And how do you know all of this information? I'm not questioning your abilities- your senses are better than mine, even if only a little- but..."

"...You want to know how I was able to gather all that info from minimal sources." Mitsuba gave him a sheepish nod. Mika studied her curiously, intrigued by how calmly she was treating him, and fiddled with the pommel of his sword, trying to piece together an explanation that a human was able to process. Keeping her in the dark would only lead her to doubt his abilities, and while he didn't particularly care about the safety of this band of humans, they weren't as bad as most of the JIDA, and it was clear by now that Yuu was quite fond of them. Mika at least wanted someone to care for him once the starvation took him. "Well, first off, experience. I've lived a good chunk of my life in the underground city. I'm used to their reek by now. Second, vampire pheromones don't entirely work like a human's. Vampires are unique in that they're a species that requires the body of another to reproduce, so they will always have lingering characteristics of humanity left over from their past lives, but they are, like I said, an entirely different species altogether. That means that their pheromones are different, their instincts are different, the way the present themselves to others is different." Mika didn't mention that the process of transforming into a true full vampire was a long, slow process, and that the faint tinges of dynamics that the vampires outside still possessed had played a key role in helping him locate them. Call it his pride, or his paranoia, but he wanted Mitsuba to believe that he was far more dangerous than she expected him to be. The fact that she was a high-ranking beta, the most dangerous dynamic for omegas to be around, didn't exactly help. "Vampire pheromones are used almost exclusively for territory marking, and the higher- ranking vampires often have more potent scents than those below them. Vampires usually hate being around their own kind, especially when they're both from the same rank, and since my sire was ranked higher than most, I am especially sensitive to the presence of other parasites. Therefore, I can track the stick of the two nobles trying to one-up each other with little effort, as tracking such stupidity has, as of 2016, been in my blood."

Mitsuba blinked. Mika winced, not sure if he diverged too much information- his bitter tone had certainly given away just how much he hated being a vampire, _again_ \- but to his relief, all Mitsuba did was nod and make a noise of understanding, even if it seemed strange to him. She was being quite compliant, almost unusually so- Mika was starting to suspect that Shinoa had something to do with it. Whatever was going on between them was probably tiring out Mitsuba enough to take the edge off of her bite. "Makes sense. I'm not liking breaking up the squad, though. We're already one person short of an adequate survival force, and even though you're strong and fast enough that you more than make up for it, it's still making me uneasy..."

"Understandable," Mika fired back, "but would you rather us all get caught? Even if one or two of us got captured, with my mark, the vampires who did it would probably just assume someone's pet got loose and use the capture as a way to piss off the others around them. Even if you have the uniforms of the Demon Army, there are enough prisoners of war for ambitious nobles to have soldier pets, and killing something so hard-won usually results in a nasty feud. None of these nobles are stable enough in their positions for them to risk that."

 _Which is probably why Ferid had them all assemble in one place. They're too afraid to start anything, but if they do, they'll destroy each other, and none of the blame can be placed on him. Typical._

Mitsuba hesitated, then nodded slowly. She still looked uncomfortable with the concept, but somewhat less so than before- Mika could only hope that she wouldn't chicken out and ignore his advice. It was doubtful she would- she was second-in-command after Shinoa, after all, she had responsibilities- but if she did, Mika didn't want to have to think of the consequences. "I understand. Do you want to announce the plan, or should I-?"

"What plan?" A heavy weight draped over Mika's back, warm and smelling like sea salt and tangerines, and Mika froze, feeling the tickle of Yuu's hair brush his cheek as the alpha leaned forward, resting his cheek on Mika's shoulder. "I thought we were going to go back to camp. I'm getting hungry."

Yuu's hand brushed past his waist, and Mika stiffened, feeling his heart flutter in his throat as Yuu's fingers trailed lightly up his side before the alpha rested his arm on Mika's opposite shoulder. The motion, to the omega, was almost anticlimactic, and Mika exhaled slowly, chastising himself for hoping for something else.

 _What, you idiot? Did you think he was going to hug you from behind? You're not mates- he's just platonically using you as a pillow. This isn't new. Calm down._

Mitsuba rolled her eyes at Yuu and leaned forward to flick him on the nose. Yuu jerked, dodging it, nearly knocking Mika over in the process. "Yes, idiot, we're going back to camp. Unfortunately, if you haven't forgotten, we _seem_ to be surrounded by a bunch of creatures out for our blood, which kind of makes the return journey a little...I don't know, difficult? Not all of us have a fetish for getting attacked by vampires, you know."

Her gaze flickered between the two of them, one eyebrow slowly raising.

Mika choked. Yuu frowned as he processed the jibe, then stiffened against him, spluttering indignantly.

"Hey, wait, it's not like that!" Yuu lunged forward, pressing Mika down, and swiped at Mitsuba, uttering a dismayed yelp as she dodged him. "I don't have a thing for vampires in _that_ way! Shinoa's had a bad influence on you!"

Mitsuba growled at him, her scent rising as she bristled, but Mika wasn't able to hear her retort or see how she reacted. He was all too focused on how _close_ Yuu's opposite hand was to the back of his neck, the pressure of it tingling under his skin, a thrumming reminder of the calming paralysis that could overcome him should Yuu's hand move any higher.

Mika wasn't quite interested in figuring out what would happen if Yuu was to accidentally scruff him in the middle of (what was quickly turning into) a one-sided game of chicken. With a quick dip and a shake, he displaced him, watching with a half-amused, half-guilty grimace as Yuu let out a shriek of fear and toppled to the floor.

 _Sorry, love. It was either you or the both of us._

"You just admitted you have a thing for vampires, Yuu." Narumi approached them, drawn in by the commotion, and shook his head gravely at the groaning alpha. Mitsuba huffed and crossed her arms, a triumphant smirk on her face, and Yuu growled at the both of them, baring his teeth in a surly half-snarl. "'I don't have a thing for vampires in that way!' Which way do you like them then, Yuu? Blonde, handsome, nice pair of legs, depression-"

"That's enough." Mika cut Narumi off with a snarl and a warning glance, cheeks burning, not sure why he, of all people, was encouraging the teasing. Didn't he have some sort of thing against Mika and his kind? Or was this some sort of attack on Yuu veiled as petty taunting?"

But all he got for his defensive actions were a couple of raised eyebrows, adverted eyes, and a few steps back, a backdown that he didn't expect to get from the male beta. Whatever Mitsuba said to Narumi must have been more effective in winning him over than he thought it would.

(He was surprised by how relieved he was.)

"-Anyways," he continued, tearing his eyes off of Narumi in favor of helping Yuu up (and subsequently ignoring his pout because dammit Yuu, acting out the kicked-puppy role was _not_ helping their case). "We have a plan to get back to camp that will hopefully not result in our capture. As of now, there are two nobles and their consorts out there, flanking our building; if we're able to enact this successfully, then we should escape back to camp unscathed."

Yuu and Narumi nodded gravely, their eyes alert, the soldier decorum returned to their presence. Beside him, Mitsuba was standing with her eyes forward and her head up, a dominant posture that backed his ability to speak, a posture that screamed 'interrupt him, and you answer to _me_ '. Mika paused, unnerved by how seriously they were taking him-surely they weren't going to listen to him, surely they were going to ask Mitsuba what to do instead of taking their advice from an omega and a vampire- but continued when they remained serious, feeling a spark of relief and gratitude flicker through him at the opportunity.

 _Neither Krul nor Ferid would have let me get this far._

"The plan is to leave in pairs so that the other vampires won't notice that we're a military squad. They're looking for JIDA soldiers in the company of a vampire; if we split up, we'll be at higher risk of individual capture, but the risk of death would be lower. Nobles like this fight to their deaths over the right to keep soldiers as pets, which would give the rest of us adequate time to save whoever was unlucky enough to get snatched." He curled his lip at the last part, expressing his distaste with his own kind. Vampires who kept humans as pets were, in his mind, scum- with those who offered 'services' alike to Ferid's being the worse. "Problem is, vampires have a certain way of...marking those that belong to them. Any that don't have that mark would be exposed as enemies, and drained."

There was an awkward pause as Yuu and Narumi digested the information, and then Narumi grimaced, discomfort shivering through him as he spoke. "So what you're saying is-"

"I'm going to scentmark you." Now it was Mika's turn to grimace. Yuu jumped, his eyes locking onto Mika's in surprise, and Mika lowered his gaze, feeling a pulse of shame course through his body. Scentmarking anyone other than Yuu felt almost like cheating; even though this mark would not last more than a few hours, and would be unnoticeable to anyone who wasn't a vampire, he couldn't help feeling guilty. "It's...unfavorable, but it will drastically reduce the chances of death upon capture. And I will strive to make it impermanent."

Yuu wavered in the corner of his sight, no doubt trying to catch his attention so he could tell him it was okay, but Mika didn't dare look at him. Every omegan instinct in his body was already screaming at him for what he was about to do; he didn't want to chicken out of it just because the only person he wanted to smell like him was Yuu.

The part of him that was half vampire wasn't so opposed to the idea of marking a group of humans as his, which only made it worse.

Narumi hesitated, then slowly nodded in agreement, though he still looked like he'd just stepped in a pile of dog feces. "Understood. But how would this mark be administrated? I don't want your teeth coming anywhere near my bonding glands, thank you very much."

 _Nor would I want my teeth anywhere near your neck,_ Mika wanted to retort, but he was too caught up in how he was going to answer the beta's question. Narumi had made an excellent point; Mika didn't actually know how to apply a vampiric claiming mark without it being the permanent blood brand he had smelt under the skin of the pets back in Sanguinem. And if that was their only option, establishing such a mark usually took months of feedings and careful inactions of the special secondary venom that formed it; actions that Mika was far from comfortable doing. There were no special scent glands for vampire pheromones, as there were no need for them- the heightened senses of their species meant that a firm brush against an object usually left enough of a mark on it for others to pick up- which was not enough to be noticed under the scents of live, active humans.

 _Unless..._

Mika remembered the thick scent of Krul's blood everytime he uncapped a vial, the way the heavy aroma of Ferid's blood tainted the battlefield when he'd chopped his arm off. Vampire blood was a cold, clotted, stale thing, but the blood of the progenitors was something else- their heightened power and turning curse giving their blood a distinctive tang. It was a risky thing to try to use- Mika was still newly-turned and a halfling, and blood flocked vampires to a victim like flies to a corpse- but maybe...

He rolled up the gloves he'd donned on their way down and pulled down the cuff of his uniform, exposing the scent gland at his wrist. His scent grew richer with the exposure, an omega's tingling sweetness tinting the air, and he felt the eyes of the others burn into him as they watched what he was doing, curious as to see what he would do next.

Yuu's voice rose, inquisitive and cautious all at once. "Mika, what..."

Mika opened his mouth, flexed his wrist, and, in a single, decisive motion, tore it open with his fangs.

Yuu's voice ended in a startled shout, his hand gripping Mika's bleeding forearm, yanking it away from his mouth. The roughness of his actions made Mika's teeth catch in the wound, slashing it open further, and he let out a hiss of pain, clicking his yanked fangs together with a wince. The haze of his own venom was already clouding his head, the blood-thinner agent in it keeping the slash open and free-flowing, and the taste of his own blood was heavy in his mouth, a cool, coppery-sweet tang that was both disgusting and alluring at the same time.

"Mika, what the fuck?!" Yuu's other hand hovered over the gash, fingers twitching like he wanted to try to staunch the wound, but Mika grabbed him before he could, letting the blood flow freely. "Why'd you slash your wrist? This isn't part of the plan! Are you-"

"Shh, it's okay, Yuu." Mika let go of Yuu's hand and gently patted the alpha's cheek, mind still slightly woozy from his venom (damn, and he thought vampires had some immunity to it). "This is part of the plan. Vampire blood has its own distinctive scent; I thought if I dabbed some of it over your scent glands, it would be powerful enough to not be covered by your own scents."

"So you want us to allow you to smear your blood on us?" Narumi stared at the crimson rivulets running down Mika's wrist in horror, nose wrinkling at the scent. "What sort of vampiric emo bullshit-"

"It's either this or I scentmark you hard enough that you smell like me and me alone," Mika dryly remarked. "Vampire pheromones are made for noses that are far keener than yours. I have no doubt that I would have properly learned to mark my humans were I to stay under my progenitor's tutelage, but that is not the case, and I would rather not have to rub necks with you, nor would I think that you would enjoy that. This way is messier-" he flicked his wrist to demonstrate; the wound was already almost closed, but there was enough blood left pooled in the dip under his palm to splatter the floor red-"but it's also more impersonal. I'd rather keep it that way, thanks."

Narumi flushed lightly and nodded, though he still didn't look happy about it. "But wouldn't the smell of blood-"

"-Attract my kin?" Mika interjected. Narumi twitched, clearly irritated that he kept getting cut off, and Mika felt a thrill race down his spine at the prospect of a fight. "No. If anything, they're more likely to be intimidated by it. A vampire as high-ranking as me shedding blood over their prey is not a vampire one would want to engage."

Yuu snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _'_ _prince'_ under his breath. Mika felt his cheeks warm, both pleased and mortified with his new nickname.

"Mikaela's reasoning is sound," Mitsuba said firmly, giving Narumi a warning glance. "...Even if it is a little unfavorable, and he has some questions to answer for that high-ranking comment." She turned her firm glare on Mika, her scent strong with the pheromones of a beta in charge, and Mika was startled to feel himself nodding along with her words- surely he wasn't yet comfortable enough with this pack to submit to her so readily?- "We should be grateful he even has a solution for getting out of here. Muscling our way out of a pack of vampires is dangerous enough when they're low-ranking and we're a full squad."

"Ah, you're being overdramatic." Yuu waved her off with a cocky smirk, his scent rising, then patted the hilt of his sword like he would a hunting dog. "Asuramaru and I would be able to handle a bunch of low-rankers. We've done it in the past, remember? A couple of nobles would be nothing if you let me at 'em."

Mika tensed. Mitsuba fixed the alpha in a dead-eyed stare, the air behind her shimmering and crackling as if she was considering fixing Yuu's attitude with force-until Asuramaru beat her to it. The demon sword pulsed with power, a spark of poison-green electricity leaping out to singe Yuu's hand as he glanced at her, and he let out a startled yelp, shaking out the pain with a sullen glare at his sword.

"Oi, Asura, what the fuck?" His scent ebbed in intensity, losing the spicy tinge that it had acquired with his posturing, and Mika blinked, closing his mouth with a _snap_. He hadn't realized he'd opened it- he'd been too focused on the way his instincts had started to buzz when Yuu had started to show off, alerting him to _something_ , telling him to look, to pay attention. It was a new sensation, and the vagueness of it irritated him, especially when he noticed the heat warming his chest and cheeks. "I was complimenting you! Don't give me that!"

No visible answer from the sword. Yuu frowned at it, no doubt reacting to whatever the demon was whispering to him in his mind, and Mitsuba snapped her fingers under his nose to get him to refocus on reality, no doubt irritated by the delay.

"We don't have time to stand around acting like we're hot shit," she snapped. "We need to get back to camp, _now_. Keep your alpha down until then, _please_ , the _last_ thing I want to have to deal with is you trying to seduce people with your big strong alpha prowess while we are still literally in enemy territory!"

Yuu spluttered indignantly, his cheeks flushing. Mika watched him curiously, feeling his heart flutter at the cute sight, a spark of interest and desperate hope warming his chest at Mitsuba's words.

 _He was trying to flirt? But why? And with who?_

 _Could he have been trying to show off for me?_

"Mikaela." Mitsuba approached him before he could shoot himself down, her cuffs rolled up her forearms to bare her wrists. "We're ready, if you are."

Oh, that's right. He had a job to do.

Mika raised his bloodied wrist to his mouth and slit it open along the vein, wincing at his taste and the unnatural tug on his fangs, then placed the bleeding cut over Mitsuba's right scent gland, rubbing a streak of blood over the skin until he could smell himself over the strong scent of her identifiers. He then repeated the action on her left wrist, wrinkling his nose as the smell of vampire blood rose in the air, and stepped back, careful to keep the venom out of his bite as he reopened the wound.

"Rub that on your neck, if you can," he muttered, hissing softly as the vein in his wrist reopened without the pain-killing help of his venom. "It might dissuade the others from drinking from you."

Mitsuba groaned, but complied, rubbing the excess blood over her pulse point as he stepped over to do Narumi. "Ugh, I don't doubt it. No offense, Mika, but I don't think I'll ever want to do this again."

"That's good." Mika locked eyes with Narumi, feeling ice creep down his spine as the beta stared him down, and pressed his slit wrist over the other's scent gland with a grimace that he hoped look more like a snarl of pain than a sneer of disgust. He was already on thin enough ice with this particular member of Yuu's squad. "Because I never want to do this again."

Mitsuba barked out a laugh. Mika finished marking Narumi and gestured for the beta to rub the blood against his neck, an almost euphoric rush of relief flowing through him as the beta broke eye contact to do so.

Which left Yuu.

Mika took a steadying breath and slid his fangs back into his wrist, allowing himself a shot of venom to calm his nerves as he drew fresh blood. Yuu was watching him with an expression that was almost incomprehensible to the omega, his bright green eyes intense with some deep emotion that was almost...proud?

He shouldn't be- whether Yuu was interested in taking him as his mate or not, most alphas disliked omegas close to them to scentmark others. Yuu had certainly proved himself to be protective of Mika, both before and after their reuniting; even though Mika knew he would try his best to keep himself from bothering him, by all means, he should be projecting some measure of distaste with the going-ons by now.

Unless...

In a rush, Mika remembered that while alphas disliked others scentmarking their omegas, they had no problem when their pack- their _family_ \- did it. Him mingling his scent, however unwillingly, with these other humans- humans that he so affectionally called his family- must be triggering the deepest, most intrinsic aspects of his dynamic; to protect and care for his pack, and to sit back and watch in satisfaction as they prospered.

Mika swallowed down a lump in his throat and tried to ignore the sad, hopeful fluttering in his stomach.

 _No. I have no place with these traitors. They can turn on me, they can turn on Yuu, I must not give in to temptation..._

He slowed to a stop, so close to Yuu that he could feel the warmth of the alpha's breath on his cheek as he looked up. He didn't have to strain to meet Mika's eyes; their similar heights were perfect, a blessing really, considering the fact that all he had to do to kiss him was to tilt his head down and they would-

"Mika?" Yuu smiled, and Mika's heartbeat thrummed loudly in his ears, the shock of what he had been tempted to do- _in front of Yuu's squad, no less_ \- starting his heart back up in a maddeningly fast tempo. "You okay there? You were staring at me kinda intensely."

He still had that spicy edge to his scent. Mika blinked twice, trying to clear the warm, longing haze from his mind, and fired back the first excuse that came to mind. "Sorry, you just stink so much that I was worried I'd have to bleed myself out to cover you."

Bad move. An indignant Yuu was, in Mika's eyes, an adorable Yuu, and he proved it again as he bristled and then shoved lightly at Mika's shoulders, his face pinking as he growled. "Shut up! I don't smell that bad! If anything, you're the one who stinks now! I can't skip a day where I don't wake up and smell you all over my sheets!"

-And oh, Mika _missed_ this, this playful, affectionate banter, and even if it cost them time he couldn't help but fight to have the last word- to drop this now would, in his mind, be blasphemy.

"Then maybe you should stop whining that you can't sleep without me in your bed." Mika leaned forward and gently tapped Yuu on the nose, smiling when the alpha blinked and twitched away. "And then I wouldn't get my scent all over your sheets, you overgrown pup."

Yuu stared at him briefly, opened his mouth to argue- and was promptly interrupted by a vicious coughing fit from Narumi, who, when the two turned to look at him, looked quite like a man who wished for a sudden and instantaneous death.

"Hurry it up, you two," he growled, adverting his eyes. Besides him, Mitsuba seemed to have found a rather interesting spot in the ceiling to study, for she was looking everywhere except at the alpha and omega in front of her. "We don't have time for this."

Mika scowled at him, but said nothing to counter him, instead focusing on flipping over Yuu's hands and tugging up his sleeves so that his scent glands were exposed to the air.

He'd only just started on Yuu's right cuff when the alpha grabbed onto his bloodied forearm and pried his fingers away from his arm, raising Mika's bared wrist to press against the scent glands on his neck. It was an unexpected, surprisingly _intimate_ gesture, and Mika sucked in a breath through his fangs that did nothing to calm his nerves as Yuu gently slid the bloodied skin over his neck, smearing what was left of Mika's mark directly over his pulse point.

"Don't bother with the wrists, I don't want to have to see your blood so close to my hands." He smiled gently at Mika, fingers stroking lightly over the back of Mika's hand, and the blood on his neck looked _so much like_ a new bond-mark that it _hurt_. "We've known each other long enough so that this isn't weird, right? So just do my neck directly."

And oh, if only he knew what he did to Mika sometimes, if only he knew how the way he smiled and traced patterns over his skin left Mika feel lighter and weaker than any vampire's venom ever did, if only he knew how much Mika longed to press himself close and replace that superficial mark on his neck with one that would last for as long as they both lived, if only he knew how much he ached to tell him just how much he meant to him, _if only-_

Mika pulled his arm out of Yuu's grasp and closed his jaws over the now-unmarked skin, and the pain in his wrist was almost bittersweet, a phantom ache for teeth that weren't his for once to press their marks into his skin, the press of his lips as he removed his fangs and slid the bleeding cut along Yuu's neck almost like a chaste kiss. The scent of his blood mingled with Yuu's pheromones, covering them, and for once he appreciated the feral undertones of his plan, for they appeased his instincts in a way that left both the vampire and the omega purring _mine, mine, mine_.

"Is it done? Are we clear?" Mitsuba's voice. Mika stepped back, tore his gaze away from the red dappling Yuu's neck, and licked his chapped lips, hoping against hope that the action could be seen as him tasting the air and not an expression of want for...something else.

"Y-yeah." His voice was hoarse, and he cleared it uncomfortably, licking his wrist once to clear the blood from the healed skin. The scent of his own blood was almost overwhelming; were he any more morbid, he'd say that the aroma in the air would be close to how it would smell would this pack turned against him. Were he any more truthful to himself, and he would say that the scent of his blood (smelling so obviously of _vampire_ ) mingling with the scents of the humans around him pleased the brooding high-ranker in his mind that whispered that a vampire with a flock was a strong vampire indeed. "You should be safe from scent tracking by now. I don't think any vampire that wishes to retain their limbs would want to investigate this. Just...don't forget to not lick your wrists until we get back to camp.

Narumi laughed harshly, scratching absently at the drying blood on his wrist, and began to move towards the broken glass lobby doors. "Don't worry. I don't think we will."


	20. Chapter 20

They had agreed to pair off to confuse the lurking vampires, but not who to pair off with; that, Mika quickly realized, was perhaps his biggest mistake in devising this whole thing.

He had thought that him being paired with Yuu would be a given; they knew each other like the back of each other's hand, they had a history that the other humans could never compete with, and they were practically inseparable. Granted, there had been that one incident where Shinoa had forced him to run point with Yoichi, but she at least had had a rational reason for it, one that Mika had been unable to protest against. To be paired away from his alpha was, in his mind, blasphemy; he strove to avoid it as much as possible.

Which was why when Narumi announced that he was going to partner with Mika on the return journey, he couldn't believe it.

" _What_ did you say?" The beta's brow furrowed at the omega's biting words, but he didn't move from his position blocking the doors, his chin held high, gold-flecked amber eyes staring Mika down. It was an obvious display of dominance, a _you-listen-to-me-I'm-in-charge_ gesture, yet Mika was too furious to pay any attention to it. The blood mark smeared on Narumi's neck sang to the budding progenitor within him, reminding him of his own power; to the vampire instincts surging though his bloodstream, this human was _his_ , his property, and property was not supposed to talk _back_. "I don't think I heard you right. What makes you _think_ that Yuu and I wouldn't be paired together for this?"

"Nothing." Narumi was clearly unsettled by his anger, but not enough to back down; Mika fought the urge to bare all four of his fangs at his neck with everything he had in him. He shouldn't be this angry, rationally speaking, and he knew it; but then again, instinct knew no rationality, and he would be a shit omega and an even shittier vampire to let some beta human who never even liked him in the first place to drive him from his alpha's side. "I knew you were going to try to pair yourself with him, so I decided to step up to take his place. You can't go everywhere with him, it's unhealthy."

 _How dare-!_

"Excuse me?" Yuu's arrival was like the coming of a storm, the rumbling growl in his chest and the tinge of alpha pheromones permeating the air promising danger to anyone who challenged him. Mika felt a rush of relief course through him at the arrival of his alpha, the smell of the blood bond mingling with his scent making him want to press himself under Yuu's chin and croon soft thank-yous into the skin of his neck. "I'm not unhealthy to be around! Mika can go with me if he fucking wants, Narumi!" Yuu ducked his chin and snapped his teeth, punctuating his words with a growl, and Narumi flinched slightly, his instinctual wariness of an angry alpha overriding his quiet authority. "We're a squad. A _pack_. Mika belongs to _us_ , just as we belong to him. Our job is to guide him and keep him safe, but it is not our job to force him, not unless he is in danger and doesn't realize it." Yuu pressed closer to Mika, slinging an arm around his waist to tug him against him, and Mika blinked and swallowed down the pleased purr in his throat, every part of his body singing at the contact, at the force behind Yuu's words. It wasn't enough to trigger his heat hormones, but the growling undertone of _alpha_ in his best friend's voice called to something ancient and feral within him, and the use of it to defend him pleased that wild part of him immensely, the perfection of his loyalty being rewarded with Yuu's protection whispering to him that he chose his mate well. "If you want to pair with Mika because you genuinely want to spend time with him, then I have no objection, but if you're going to force him away from me then I have every right in hierarchy to counter you, _Narumi_ , even if you have rank by right of age."

Yuu's pheromones flared, compelling the beta to submit, and Mika instinctually pressed himself closer against Yuu's side, mind dizzy with the unexpected power behind Yuu's command. Yuu had never pulled rank as seriously before, at least not when he was around him, and the effects it had on him left his head woozy with the strength of his instinctual response, the awed reverence of Yuu's full power as an alpha warming his cheeks. He hadn't taken Yuu's dynamic as seriously as he probably should have, now that he thought about it; it was hard to see Yuu as a leader when he was always such a sweet dork. The only times he saw Yuu like this were the times back when they still lived in the underground city, when he came home so exhausted and drained he could barely stand and Yuu's worried fury overcame his old reluctance to show his affections. And even then, the clumsy attempts at dominance that a pre-presentation alpha was capable of paled in comparison to the persuasive power a fully-presented alpha was capable of wielding- the type of rank that Yuu was now holding over Narumi's head.

Mika could see the realization of this dawn on Narumi's face the longer their staredown lasted, and, with an apprehensive gulp, the beta submitted, his eyes dropping to the floor, head tilting to expose his throat to Yuu as he spoke. It was safer to submit to the alpha who thought his position was threatened than to continue to challenge him, and Narumi knew it- though he tended to be curt and quick to cut the bullshit, Narumi was no fool. "I apologize. That was not what I was implying when I said that him always partnering with you was unhealthy- I just thought his habit of always hanging around you was unhealthy, and that he should learn to be more comfortable around us, and visa vera. Geez, alpha, protective of your omega, much?"

That broke the tension. Yuu snorted and backed down, shaking his head and releasing Mika's waist- much to the vampire's dismay. Narumi noticeably relaxed, tilting his head back up with a soft sigh, and Mika narrowed his eyes at him, suspicious of his statement, though he was slightly flustered at Narumi's teasing.

 _Are you really just trying to get me to feel more comfortable with your pack? Or are you just saying that so Yuu wouldn't be angry with you?_

"I'm just making sure that you aren't pushing him around." Yuu smirked and lightly shoved at Narumi's shoulder, the playful action proving that he no longer had a quarrel with the beta. "Really, Narumi, you're like some grumpy old man, I was just making sure that Mika didn't get all caught up in your negativity."

"I'm only three years older than you, you little punk! Watch your mouth." Narumi smirked back at Yuu and ruffled his hair, then glanced over at the ominously-rumbling omega beside him and quipped "Besides, Mikaela doesn't need to be saved from my apparent negativity. He's a grumpy little shit all by himself."

 _The nerve-!_

Mika snarled at him, no longer tolerant of the hand on his alpha's head, and Narumi backed away with a shrug and an 'I-told-you-so' that went unnoticed by Yuu, who was too busy trying to rearrange the hair out of his eyes to see. Mika glowered at him, irritated by the flippancy of the action, but all Narumi did was raise an eyebrow at him and look away.

If he was trying to hide something, it wasn't showing up in his body language. Mika frowned, not quite willing to trust him on his word quite yet, but also not quite willing to demand answers from him. Any further prodding would only result in Narumi becoming more irritable and closed off with him, and that wouldn't help Mika at all.

Before he could decide on what to do, Mitsuba stepped in, an impatient frown on her face as she looked between them. "We don't have time for any more complaining. Mika, if you're not going to throw a hissy fit, I suggest you go with Narumi. He has a point, you know. We want to get to know you better, and that's not gonna happen with you pairing off with Yuuichirou all the time."

 _Throw a hissy fit? When have I ever?_

Mika glared at her, insulted. She rolled her eyes at him and flicked her fingers at him as if his bad mood had absolutely no effect on her whatsoever.

"I was _joking_ , Mikaela, I already know why you don't like being separated from Yuu. But we don't have time to argue right now, and you're going to have to work with Narumi eventually. Now, if you don't mind-" she walked over to Yuu and linked arms with him, wrinkling her nose in distaste as he squeaked and tried to jump away from her- "We have a camp to get back to, and I have a female alpha to regulate who is probably getting into trouble as we speak. Your unease is valid, Mika, but you're going to have to face your fears sooner or later, and today, it happens to be sooner."

With that, she turned and left, single-handedly muscling Yuu onto her shoulder when he tried to dig his heels in and protest. The sight of it- seeing Yuu getting hefted into the air by a girl a head shorter than him- stunned Mika into silence, and he could only watch numbly as the alpha who had stood up to Narumi so easily got so easily carried away by a beta lower in rank.

There was a silence, and then Narumi snorted and started chuckling quietly, passing a hand down his face as he shook with laughter. Mika blinked, looking back at him, and something about the expression on his face must have been absolutely hilarious, because it only made Narumi laugh all the harder.

"...What?" He asked grumpily, not sure whether or not he liked Narumi's sudden mood change. "Is there something wrong with my face?"

"Other than the bewildered look on your face? Nah." Narumi wiped at his eyes and straightened, sighing contentedly as his breathing evened out. "Fuck, I haven't seen you look anything but pissed ever since we met up, excepting the times when you're with Yuu, of course." His eyes scanned Mika's face like he was trying to burn the expression Mika made into his memory, smirking again when Mika scowled at him. "Yuu's right. You do look like a cat sometimes."

Mika hissed at him, not caring if it proved his point, and bared his fangs. Narumi backed up, smile slipping from his face, and Mika closed his mouth, sullenly hooking a fang over his lip to express his displeasure. "We're not here to talk about what I look like. We're here to survive. Now, if you don't mind, I want to know exactly why you decided that pairing us together would be such a good idea, when I explicitly remember that you seemed to think that I was 'sick in the head' when we started this mission."

Narumi blinked at him, then sighed, an edge of- what was that? Regret?- tinting his cedar-pine scent. Mika wavered, not expecting anything but anger, and the glance that Narumi gave him when his scent flashed his uncertainty was pitying in a way that sent chills down Mika's spine.

"I know what I said." Narumi fixed his gaze on the landscape outside and rested an arm against the cracked glass door, pillowing his forehead on it. "I know what I said, and I know it was fucked up. I'm sorry for that."

He was being honest.

He was being honest, and that took the snarl out of Mika's throat and the rage out of his heart and left him floundering, struggling in a sea of confusion that stole the words right out of his mouth. An apology, an apology laced with _sympathy_ , was the last thing he expected to hear from this beta, let alone anyone else in the squad, and much like when Yoichi apologized, it sent him reeling.

 _Why are you being_ nice _to me?_

Narumi glanced over at him, studying the shock on his face silently, and looked back out at the barren expanse beyond the door, tapping his fingers along the handle of his weapon. "When Yuu was calming you down, Mitsuba talked to me. She told me a little bit more about your story, how you used to use yourself carelessly to feed your family and how you sacrificed yourself to made sure that Yuu escaped when you two tried to leave the vampire city." He cleared his throat and looked down, and Mika did the same, something nervous and faintly sick churning in his stomach at the look on his face. "She didn't say too much about you- just what Yuu told the squad after you two met again- but she told me enough."

It took Mika a few seconds to find his voice again. "Enough of what...?"

Narumi shrugged, his eyes still cast to the floor. For once, his scent was muted, subdued- Mika almost couldn't smell it under the blood mark on his neck and the scent of his own upset confusion, hanging heavy in the air around them. "Enough to know why you're such a pissbaby. Enough to know you're fucked up and have a reason to be. Enough to know that I was a completely insensitive jerk." Narumi exhaled slowly, then glanced over at Mika with eyes that were almost pleading. "Can we stop now? This is embarrassing."

Mika narrowed his eyes at him, silently agreeing with him, but crossed his arms and glared at him regardless, his vampiric pride not letting him back down just yet. "I'm not fucked up."

 _Lies. You're a monster, you're a disgusting abomination and you know it._

Narumi snorted and straightened his stance, looming over Mika, then swung a fist at him. Mika's heart stopped, years-old panic consuming him, and stumbled back, scrambling for his sword hilt, not realizing that Narumi hadn't hit him until his eyes opened again.

 _When did I close them?_

Narumi stared at him, expression inscrutable, then closed his eyes and turned away with a sigh. Mika straightened his stance, fear and humiliation burning in his scent, and Narumi sighed again, not looking at him.

"I think it's been enough time since Yuu and Mitsuba left." The beta slid his hand down the grip of his weapon and walked out the door that Mitsuba opened without looking back. "Let's go."

.

.

.

The run back to camp was uneventful.

Mika and Narumi only encountered one vampire on the way, a noble so low on the social ladder that it was a miracle that it had ever managed to earn its rank in the first place. It bit the dust under their blades before it could do so much as pounce, and the ashes of its passing quickly deterred the commons that Mika scented watching from the foliage around them. As he suspected, the two nobles who had been lingering close to their hiding place never approached; twice, he felt the prickling sweep of another vampire's gaze tingling on the nape of his neck as they passed their roosting places, but neither of them had the idiocy required to pick a fight with him, nor did they have the social intelligence to try to band together to take him down like a pack. Still, their presence unsettled him; he would have to be on high alert tonight, so as to ensure that one of them did not try to follow them back to camp.

Yuu and Yoichi met them on the fringe of the forest to help guide them back, their black uniforms against the deepening shadows giving them the illusion of melting out of the darkness. To Mika, it was an unimpressive trick- if the JIDA really wanted to be stealthy, they would do away with the neon green accents- but it obviously startled Narumi, if his flinch at their appearance was an indication of surprise.

"Eyy, you're safe!" Yuu bounded forward and ruffled a hand through Mika's hair, playfully bumping shoulders with him. The show of affection sent a bloom of warmth through Mika's chest, and he purred softly as Yuu leaned closer to briefly press their foreheads together, reveling in the wonderful familiarity of Yuu's scent, the jagged-sharp unease lingering in his mind smoothing over at the contact. Yuu smiled, softer than before, and pulled back, walking over to Narumi to give him an affectionate punch on the arm. "Your plan worked, by the way; as soon as those assholes smelled the marks on us, they fled! You should have seen their faces! I was gonna kill one of them and bring back a piece of the uniform to show you, but Mitsuba wouldn't let me." Yuu pouted, sidestepping absently as Narumi tried to retaliate with a kick to the shin. "Mitsuba's fine, before you ask. She's busy dealing with Shinoa right now. That fucking purple gremlin is in one of her weird moods again."

And that wasn't something that Mika particularly cared about, much less ask about, but he couldn't find enough malice in him to remark about it as Yoichi stepped in front of him and cautiously tugged on the edge of his cape to catch his attention, the apologetic, slightly fearful look on his face far too close to the way the livestock children looked at him for his comfort. "Yuu said it a bit harshly, but you should listen to him when he says Shinoa's in a weird mood. I don't think she'll be that bad around you since she genuinely likes you, but ah...let's just say that she's trying out humour again."

Mika snorted, moving a hanging vine out of the way as he followed the scent trails back to camp. Behind them, Yuu and Narumi's playful bickering was starting to become dangerously loud- at this point, having no vampires stop by in the middle of the night would be a miracle. He'd most likely have to patrol this area after the humans fell asleep to ensure that his territorial mark would not be masked by the lingering traces the squad left behind.

"Terrifying. Horrifying. I tremble in fear at the thought of Shinoa acting even more obnoxious than she usually is." He could see the clearing up above, the flicker of a small campfire painfully apparent in the light of the setting sun. Were these humans trying to get themselves killed? "I've seen enough shit in my life. I doubt that an overzealous alpha will be too much for me to handle."

Yoichi made a small noise of disagreement, but Mika paid no heed to it as he broke free of the line of trees- and immediately stopped, stunned into stillness by the sight before him.

Mitsuba and Shinoa were wrestling in the light of the fire, the beta growling, the alpha cackling manically. There was a set of pink lingerie with yellow smiley faces hooked over the log that their packs leaned up against, the bottom piece laying demurely on top of a pack of hand wipes and a dirt-splattered bag of soft white objects. Mika watched numbly as the two girls tumbled over each other, their boots sending sparks flying as one of them kicked far too close to the fire, and slowly looked over to Kimizuki (who was standing a few yards away from the commotion with the unmistakable look of a man who wished for death) for an explanation.

The pink-haired alpha merely shook his head and looked to the heavens as if praying for salvation. Shinoa pinned Mitsuba to the dirt and looked at him curiously, following his line of sight, and smiled maniacally when she saw Mika, eyes lighting up with some demonic glee that made Mika immediately wish to exist anywhere else but where he currently was.

"Mikaaaa! You're back!" Mitsuba growled, finally shaking herself out of her hold, and flipped Shinoa, slamming her against the ground. The alpha grinned deviously up at her, wiggling her eyebrows, then looked back at Mika. "I should thank you for that little stunt you pulled to keep my darling Mitsu safe." The beta snarled at her, face reddening as Shinoa tried to squirm out from under her, and Shinoa slowly slid her fingers up along the scent glands on Mitsuba's wrist, her touch deceivingly sensual as she locked her ankles with Mitsuba's and tumbled her. "Even if it was a little...uncomfortable to smell your blood on her neck. It took a little bit of...scrubbing to get that mark off."

Mitsuba snarled again, bucking Shinoa off of her with a well-timed jerk of her hips, and locked a hand around Shinoa's throat, tilting her face up and away from her. "You _scentmarked_ me, you bastard! Don't think I didn't notice you trying to rub your wrists all over my neck when you were helping me get that off, because I _did_!"

Shinoa chuckled out an ' _aww'_ that sounded dangerously close to an alpha's croon. Mika decided he had enough, and began to head for the packs, steeling himself as he approached the glaringly-bright bra perched above the circle of bags. "Speaking of scrubbing blood off, do you happen to have-?"

"The Moist Boys are under the glorious piece of sexy wear I was so fortunate to find on my hunt for supplies." Shinoa's head popped up in the corner of his eyes, her wild grin sending chills down his back. "Take one of them and you will be cleansed of all your sins. Which you're going to need, if you're going to make use of that lingerie! Mitsuba refused to wear it for me for some reason."

Mika stared at her blankly. Kimizuki, scenting the distress in his pheromones, sighed and took mercy on him, walking over so he could remove the offending pieces of fabric from their positions.

"She means the wet wipes," he explained, passing a pack to Mika. Mika took it, still staring at the bra and panties in the alpha's hands, and Kimizuki sighed tiredly, shaking them out without looking at them. "Before you ask, I have a sick sister who was just starting puberty when the army finally decided to give her full treatment. Bras are not a new thing to me."

"I see." Mika tore his eyes away from the smiley faces (placed directly over the nipples and crotch, dear god _why_ ) and nodded to the alpha. "Thank you."

"No problem." Kimizuki inclined his head and glanced over the omega's shoulder, raising an eyebrow as Yuu's confused yelp echoed through the forest. "Looks like the rest of the squad is back."

 _"_ _Why the fuck are there panties?!"_ Mika turned around and watched in bemusement as Yuu gawked at the sight before him, his face reddening as he glanced between Mika and Kimizuki. Behind him, Narumi was covering Yoichi's eyes, a tired _'why-am-I-here'_ look on his face as he stared out at the scene before him. Yuu turned in a distressed circle, then stopped and stared again at the underwear in Kimizuki's hands before turning to glare at the still-wrestling girls on the ground. "Why the _fuck_ are they _pink_?! Shinoa! You were supposed to go on a _supply run_! What the fuck is _this?_!"

"Supplies, my darling idiot!" Shinoa locked her legs around Mitsuba's hips and rolled her over so the beta was pressed tight against her body, grinning deviously up at the stunned males as Mitsuba screamed curses into her chest. "Fear not, cherry boy, I wasn't just thinking about your virginity when I went shopping! I also got us The Wet Ones! And marshmallows! So we can have a nice campfire dinner, like any squad should experience." She wriggled her way around to look at Mika, a thoughtful look on her face. "What do you think, Mika? Do you think he'd be able to fit in those panties? I'm pretty sure his dick is small enough, but since you two are such experts about each other I figured I better ask for your opinion before I tried to blackmail him into wearing them."

Yuu made a noise akin to a dying whale and hid his face in his hands. Mika stiffened, staring Shinoa dead in the eyes, and tried _very_ hard to wipe the image of Yuu clad in nothing but the panties from his mind.

 _Thinking about his dick is_ not _a safe thing to do when surrounded by a bunch of alphas do_ not _do it mission abort mission abort-_

Shinoa smiled, apparently taking his silence for consideration, and let Mitsuba go, scrambling to her feet before the beta could pin her again. "No worries, Mika, we can discuss this over dinner. I'm sure it would make a _very_ good conversation topic!" She looked around her, smiling serenely at the multitude of confused, embarrassed, and horrified faces around her. "Lighten up, you guys! It's high time we gathered together as a family and shared stories over stolen sweets! As squad leader- _and_ the most beautiful, powerful female alpha around- I declare this family night to officially start as of now!"

Mitsuba slapped her hand against her face and groaned, Yuu seconding her. Yoichi laughed- low and nervous, like he wanted to say something reassuring but couldn't find anything optimistic to say- and Narumi and Kimizuki shared a look of resigned dismay that Mika had only seen before on the faces of soldiers marching to their deaths.

Mika sighed and hung his head in his hands, too tired to bother arguing with the minute alpha.

It was going to be a long night.


	21. Chapter 21

Yuu was experiencing a dilemma.

He had thought that by pairing away from Mika, he would have helped him by exposing him to the squad more; after all, no matter how roughly worded it was, Narumi had had a point, and there was almost nothing Yuu wanted more for Mika than to be able to experience the love and acceptance he experienced when surrounded by his new pack. It wasn't like he necessarily wanted to shove him away; Yuu had no objection to Mika spending his days constantly by his side, but he _did_ have an objection to Mika living unhealthily, and the thought of his best friend living like Yuu had in the days after he was rescued by Guren- shut away from all but one person, focused on only one goal in life, no joy in his heart- sent chills down his spine.

And so, when the time ticked down for them to choose their partners, and Mitsuba had carried them away in her impatience to get back to Shinoa and a warm meal- well, Yuu had figured that the discomfort Mika would feel at their separation would be worth the experience he got working with someone who _wasn't_ Yuu.

What he didn't expect was the impact Mika's absence had on himself.

Yuu wasn't sure what it was- his overprotective instincts, his thoughts of Mika trying to blend in with his family, the fresh memories of what they did together after the spat with the rest of the squad, Mika's blood brand on his neck- but he couldn't tear his thoughts away from him, no matter how hard he tried. He snuck through the ruined landscape, Mitsuba at his side, thought of how Mika used to weave long tales about making a home for them in the freedom of their ruined world, back when they were livestock under the earth. He darted between buildings, eyes fixated on the flutter of white that signified a vampire on patrol, and remembered when he first saw Mika after four years of thinking him dead, standing there in the haze of battle with the light of the dying sun reflecting off the bloody red glow of his enchanted blade. He gave up the chase, Mitsuba's hissed warning tearing him from his hunt, the image of his sword slicing through the vampire's chest naught but a daydream, and he thought of the darkness in Mika's eyes as he twisted his hands around the throat of the noble. In his mind's eye, he stood over the ash-dusted scraps of the vampire's uniform, his kill, and the voice in his mind did not whisper ' _another one down'_ as it was wont to do, but ' _I wonder if Mika would want a souvenir_?'

The loss of him by his side felt like a wound that refused to close; nagging, anxiety-inducing, and hard to forget. Granted, he _had_ spent the better part of four years tearfully wishing that he could see him again, and dreaming that he would never let him go if he, by some miracle, _did_ get him back, but this was…different.

He had thought, after weeks spent together, that he would grow accustomed to seeing Mika with him, but he had not. Rather than clinging tight in the beginning and then drawing back once it was clear Mika wouldn't disappear, like he had assumed he would do, he grew even _more_ attached. Everytime he tried to retreat, thinking Mika would want some space, there was something about Mika that drew him back, binding him to him ever tighter. Sometimes, it was the little things, like seeing again how Mika's eyes would soften when he was truly happy, or watching the way he absently brushed his hair to the side when it blew in the way; sometimes, it was something bigger, something newer, like noticing the sharp cut of his jawline, the way his form-fitting black boots hugged his slender legs, the graceful, fluid way he moved. Sometimes it was the way his eyes pierced through Yuu, sharper than any blade and twice as beautiful, and sometimes it was the way he smiled, soft and sweet, pale pink lips parting to show gleaming white teeth. Sometimes, it was the way his scent spiked sweeter, still somewhat the same after going through a full presentation, and sometimes it was the way being around him made Yuu feel like he was grounded, the way it reminded him that all was not lost, that he wasn't a horrible alpha who watched his first pack be killed and could do nothing- he was an alpha who still had someone who _needed_ him, someone to protect and care for, someone to call home.

The way Mika made him feel was as euphoric as a rush of demon power after swallowing a pill, only better. There was no chemical-concocted feeling that could compete with knowing that he had a place in the world, a purpose that only he could fulfill, one that could be done by simply being himself, without the need for a demon's power to grant it.

So when the time came for them to put down their weapons, gather their food, and relax (or, as well as they could with Shinoa trying to push for some 'family bonding time'), Yuu didn't think twice about walking over to the corner where Mika lurked so he could bring him over to join them, repressing his social opportunities be damned.

(If anything, Yuu was pretty sure that him bodily dragging Mika over to join them was increasing them. Maybe vampires had some sort of social etiquette for feeding that he was trampling all over, but there was certainly no way in hell Mika was going to actually get any friend-making done if all he did was sulk in the shadows and watch them eat like some sort of depressed, moody phantom.)

Perhaps it wasn't the smartest decision ever- after all, Shinoa was in one of her teasing moods again, and Mika's past experiences with him in Sanguinem provided ample blackmail material if Mika decided to join her on her Time-To-Humiliate-Yuuichirou rampage- but Yuu couldn't help himself. He knew what that casual comment about his dick meant, and what she was planning to trick him to do with that lingerie. If worse came to worse, Yuu was at least hoping that Mika would defend his honor before the Yuuichirou roast session got too intense.

He tightened his grip on Mika's wrist (the poor boy had already been sought out by Shinoa, he didn't want to entice her by holding hands with him, no matter how much he longed for it) and lead him over to a spot opposite of where Shinoa was sitting across the fire, outrageously-pink lingerie clasped loosely in one hand, a very dusty Mitsuba grumpily opening cans of army rations at her side.

The other alpha smirked at him, the light of the fire reflecting the red flecks in her eyes, and Yuu growled softly at her, dropping to the ground with as much defensive aggression as he could muster. Mitsuba rolled her eyes at his theatrics, handing him his ration over the fire, and he took it without looking away from Shinoa, tugging slightly on Mika's wrist to signal that he wanted him to sit.

If he was going to be met with death, he at least wanted to look it in the face.

"...Yuu?" Mika slowly sat down next to him, wrinkling his nose at the smell of human food. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuu saw him look at Shinoa, the way he flinched at the sight of her smirk, and the hesitant, wary edge to his scent was enough to tear him away from the staredown, his instinctual overprotectiveness overriding his need to nonverbally tell Shinoa to fuck off. "Is this a normal occurrence with your particular humans, or...?"

God, he looked amazing in the firelight, even when he obviously didn't want to be there. Puberty treated him well. Yuu was almost jealous.

 _Well, one of us has gotta be the handsome one in this squad._

"Unfortunately, yes." Yuu blinked and stared back at the fire- where had that thought come from?- and stirred the food in his ration can uncomfortably, suddenly hyperaware of the way Mika was watching him. Maybe beans weren't all that good for dinner tonight- that peculiar, tingly heartburn feeling was back again. "This is Shinoa's way of trying to initiate 'squad bonding'. She thinks if we collectively kinkshame people, it will bring them together, though for some reason she mostly focuses on me."

Mika's scent shifted from hesitant uneasiness to something closer to flustered indignation. Yuu could see him biting his lip out of the corner of his eye, a slight flush gracing his face, and the sharp pang of alpha protectiveness the sight provoked nearly overrode his embarrassment in the split second before he looked away.

 _Why am I so on-edge tonight? The last time I was like this was when Mika and I were just starting to present. I should have outgrown this._

Shinoa laughed menacingly (aw fuck, did she catch that?) and raised the panties high in the air, shaking them like they were instruments of god and she was intending to be his savior. Yuu could tell from the sharp, competitive challenge in her scent and posture that this was not the case. "That's because you claim you have no kinks to share, my dear, and we all know it's bullshit! At least Kimizuki admitted he has a food kink, like a real trooper." Kimizuki (who had only just started eating, lounging casually next to Yoichi) choked, his face reddening, and she sent him an amused glance before turning her shit-eating grin back to Yuu, her glance-over of him sending chills down his spine. "Someone has to expose you eventually, you know, or you're _never_ getting laid. Remember, we're the only people available to you, so you better open the fuck up about whatever you're into before you lure someone into some weird fantasy that only you would enjoy- like, oh, say, _vampire murdering_?" She turned her attention to Mika with an apologetic smile, tilting her head sympathetically. "Sorry, Mika."

Mika grimaced, clearly unsure of what to say to her, but Yuu didn't give him a chance to think up a reply. He stood up, spoon clutched firmly in one hand, and hurled a glob of army-grade baked beans at Shinoa, his infuriation only spiking when she dodged it like it was nothing.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? What the _hell_ are you on?" He could barely hear Kimizuki scolding him for wasting food over the blood ringing in his ears, his already-aggravated alpha instincts tuning out his surroundings so all he could focus on was defending his honor. "Who the fuck said I'm turned on by murdering vampires?! Who the fuck gets turned on by murder _anyways_?"

An amused snicker reverberated through his mind, a flash of bloodied fangs and white horns superimposing over Shinoa's smirking face as Asuramaru re-emerged from his perch in the depths of Yuu's consciousness. He stiffened at the press of another mind against his, his shock letting Asuramaru in, and the demon ghosted his influence over Yuu's mind, lightning-quick images of bloodied corpses and flashes of intense, predatory, inhuman pleasure pressing into him, tingling through his bloodstream.

And then he was gone, the wake of his presence buzzing in the alpha's teeth, the sliding, snapping power of his presence pulling away from his veins.

Yuu blinked, working his jaw to get rid of the lingering phantom heaviness of fangs that did not belong to him, and shook his head irritably. Looks like some people _did_ get turned on by murder. Fucking demons.

"Well, you know, murdering vampires was kind of the only thing you'd drool over before this guy came along," Shinoa replied, waving a hand at Mika. The omega started at her action, giving her a disbelieving look, and she smiled at him, gentler than before. Yuu felt his stomach twist at the action; half of him preening in gratitude at Mika's inclusion, half jealous wariness at Shinoa looking at him so...tenderly. "And as for whatever I'm on..." The alpha smirked, her cinnamon-and-gunpowder scent rising. "...Well, let's just say that I sampled a few of those marshmallows before we met up again. I can't risk my squad dying from food poisoning! Y'all know a queen needs her worshipers to keep her throne, after all!"

She spread her arms out to bask in imaginary praise, a self-satisfied rumble purring in her chest. Narumi groaned, and Mitsuba slapped a hand over her face with a hiss of irritation, her fingers clenching and unclenching as if she was seriously considering clouting the alpha next to her.

Yuu followed her, pinching the bridge of his nose to try to restrain his urge to strangle his squadmate. Shinoa and sugar never mixed well, particularly when she ate it on an empty stomach; though she never got noticeably hyperactive when she consumed it, it always brought out the worse of her teasing attitude. Yuu remembered all too well the day he gave her his soda when they were in-between missions; he hadn't had a reprieve from steadily-more-ridiculous (and sometimes alarmingly violent) sex tips all day.

 _"_ _What?" He stared at the she-alpha incredulously, water bottle frozen halfway to his mouth._

 _She rolled her eyes at him, tipping the bottle of cola up with a forbidding smile. "You heard me, Yuu. Throw him in a patch of flowers, wait for him to sneeze, and in the split second it takes for him to recover, suck his dick."_

 _"_ _Are you kidding me? I don't even think vampires_ can _sneeze." He took a swig of water, trying not to think about what a vampire would look like sneezing, and shuffled his feet, a wave of anxious happiness washing over him as the memories of the subject filled his head instead. "Besides, we're talking about me reuniting with Mika. I'm not going to suck his dick after four years of being away from him, not when we haven't even had time to catch up yet."_

 _Shinoa blinked up at him, batting her big brown eyes almost innocently before smirking again. "Ah, I see. So I take it you're going to suck his dick after you two catch up?"_

 _"_ _SHINOA!"_

Yuu blinked away the memory with a wince, trying not to look at the omega next to him. Which was proving to be extremely difficult, because now his brain, roused at the thought of blowjobs, was currently helpfully noting that Mika's thigh-highs were at the perfect height for him to tug them down enough for certain...activities.

Yuu felt a growl roll out of his throat, deep-chested and possessive, and he flinched, surprised at the intensity of it, alarmed by the context behind it. Most alphas only growled like that when they were courting, bonding, or in rut.

Yuu knew for certain that he was not in rut.

Sure, he had thought that the earlier spikes of possessiveness were from fluctuating hormones, as was typical with a younger alpha, but the sound he had just made was not something that occurred because of a few hormone spikes. It was a growl that belonged to the season after winter's touch was a new memory, a growl that belonged in dark rooms full of whimpering cries as teeth pressed bright red marks into throats.

Which meant...

 _Oh fucking hell._

He pushed the half-formed thought into the back of his mind, suddenly acutely aware of all the little cues in his scent that could alert the others to what he was feeling, what he was thinking about. He usually couldn't care less about what shone through in his pheromones- how people reacted to his emotions was their business, as far as he was concerned, not his- but the last thing he needed was for Shinoa to scent the change in him, or for Kimizuki to notice his spike in possessive behavior. The balance of power in a pack so heavy with higher dynamics was a delicate thing; challenging it before he was certain of himself would cause nothing but trouble.

Luckily, nobody did notice, thanks to the fact that Shinoa and Mitsuba were wrestling again.

"HOW MANY?!" Mitsuba was currently shouting, shaking Shinoa hard enough for Yuu to wonder how the alpha's neck hadn't already snapped. "HOW MANY MARSHMALLOWS?! _HOW BADLY HAVE YOU DOOMED US ALL?!"_

"ONLY A FEW! THREE! FIVE! MAYBE SEVEN! CALM YOUR GLORIOUS TITS, MITSUBA, MY LOVE, THEY ARE NOT POISONOUS! I AM STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!" Shinoa writhed against the dirt, looking for all the world like she was thoroughly enjoying herself, and twisted her way partially out of the beta's grasp, grinning all the while. "I don't know why you're acting like this is such a big deal! It's not like I'm planning on blackmailing you all with the information I plan on collecting! I merely wish the best for us, you know!"

Mitsuba snarled at that and leaned forward until she and Shinoa were nose-to-nose, staring her directly in the eyes. Something strange shifted in her scent as she did so, bringing out the sweet peppermint undertones even as she remained furious, and Shinoa grinned at it, going limp in the beta's grip.

"What were you planning on doing tonight?" Mitsuba's eyes darted over to the lingerie that Shinoa had dropped when she was tackled before fixing back on the smirking alpha under her. "I know you were planning on forcing Yuu into those panties, but I think we all know that there's no way in hell that he would abide by that, especially with Mika watching him. What else did you have hidden up your sleeve, Shinoa? What other things were you planning on bribing us to do with promises of fluffy sugary treats and pack loyalty? _What else?!"_

The tinge to the beta's scent was bothering Yuu- it was too playful, too alluring, too close to the way omegas in the JIDA's school had begun to smell like when courting season approached and their heats began to arrive-

 _Oh._

 _OH._

 _They're...flirting?_

"Certainly nothing of the magnitude that you were fearing, Mitsu dear." Shinoa clicked her tongue over her teeth as Kimizuki let out a snort of disbelief, her grin widening. "Oh, don't be like that. I was simply planning for us to gossip about what we look for in a mate like any other group of horny, desperate teenagers would do. After, of course, I shoved Yuu into the panties, but now that I think about it, I'm not willing to risk his dick being small enough to fit into them. That's not something I need to see at dinnertime." She glanced at Yuu though the fire and smirked. "Don't let that go to your head, Yuu. I'm only letting you off the hook because Mika gets unbearably flustered everytime he so much as thinks about your body."

Mika twitched. Yuu flushed and glanced over at him, worried that Shinoa's jab might have upset him, but the vampire's face was an icy mask, showing no emotion.

His scent wasn't as impenetrable, however, and presenting and turning into a vampire hadn't changed his body language enough for him to not be able to read him. Mika was trying to hide something, something that sweetened his scent and made his hands tremble with nervousness.

 _What-?_

Mitsuba growled again, softer than before, and released Shinoa. The alpha sat up and neatly brushed the dust off of herself, then settled back in her spot, stirring her dinner with her spoon absently.

"Thank you for letting me go." The look she sent Mitsuba was fondly exasperated and softer than Yuu expected, and he glanced at Kimizuki in confusion, his bewilderment only increasing when the other alpha rolled his eyes and glared at the two girls. "It was much appreciated. Anyways, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Shinoa looked around at her pack, grinning. "Who wants to start?"

Narumi grunted and got up, moving farther away from the fire. "Not me."

"Aww, Narumi you spoilsport, why not?" Shinoa shook her spoon at him as if reprimanding him. "This is a team effort! What are you going to do when rutting season rolls around? We've only got so many people available, you know. Better clear the waters now while you've still got time for courting."

"I'm gonna sit around and be miserable while you alphas tear each other's throats out." Narumi plopped down on a rock near the clearing's edge, shaking his own spoon back in a mockery of her. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he did so. "You shouldn't need to try to stop me, Shinoa. You forget that I, unlike Yuuichirou, have never been attracted to another human being in my life- I have no secret kinks that you can wrestle out of me. I'm not exactly the best person to start a game of matchmaking with."

Yuu let out a squawk of indignation. Shinoa threw her head back and laughed. "Alright, alright, you've got me! Go do your cynical thing in the shadows, then. I'll go first."

She looked around the circle thoughtfully, tapping her fingers against her lips, and turned to Mitsuba. "What do you think, Mitsu? Should we go in a counterclockwise circle, or should we pick who goes next based on who fits the criteria for fucking material?"

This time, it was Yoichi who choked on his food. Mitsuba gave him a concerned glance, then shrugged. "Counterclockwise. That way Yuu is last. If one of us is unfortunate enough to think he's hot and has to pick him to be next, we're never going to get this thing done."

Shinoa nodded thoughtfully, followed by Kimizuki, and then a very apologetic-looking Yoichi. Yuu glowered at them, thoroughly fed up with his pack's teasing, and flipped them the bird.

 _Not my fault I've never been able to tell any of you what I like in a mate. I was too busy trying to gain power to focus on who's got a great ass, excuse me. Besides, everybody else smelled...wrong._

 _Except for Mika._

"Anyways! Hi, I'm Shinoa, I'm a female alpha, and I like higher dynamics." Shinoa flashed a cute pose like she was on a T.V. show, winking at her befuddled squad mates. "Gender doesn't matter, but personality does! If you're feisty and easily riled up, there's high chances I'm gonna think you're hot as fuck. Scent is whatever, but I have a preference for people who are a little spicy. As for kinks..." She smirked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. "I'm open to experimentation."

There was an awkward silence. Shinoa shrugged, as if expecting it, and turned to Kimizuki. "See, that's not so bad, is it? Your turn, my friend."

Kimizuki glared at her, crossing his arms. Yoichi sympathetically patted him on the back, and the alpha shook him off with a tired sigh, his cheeks reddening slightly as the omega pouted at him.

"Fine." Kimizuki clenched his teeth and stared into the fire, thinking, then sighed again. "I honestly haven't really thought about what I like in a mate in terms of looks because I've spent so much of my time caring for Mirai, so if I'm lacking in specifics it's because there are none, not because I'm denying things." He side-eyed Yuu, which got him a very vigorous middle finger. "I suppose...I like people who are responsible? And kind, and smart. I honestly haven't thought much about gender..." He rubbed the back of his neck, frown deepening in contemplation. "...I suppose it doesn't really matter, but the only crushes I've really had for long have been on males. I have a tendency to try to see females as people to protect because of Mirai, I guess. I tend to prefer lower dynamics because they aren't hard-headed idiots. For scent, I have a bit of a preference for smoky, forest-like scents. And you all know that I have a food kink, thanks to Shinoa."

He gently nudged shoulders with Yoichi, flush deepening as Shinoa wolf-whistled at him. "Your turn."

"Oh, dear." Yoichi smiled nervously and tapped his fingers against his knees, glancing over to where Shinoa sat grinning like the cat who got the cream. "Well, this is quite embarrassing. I think Kimizuki and I are on the same boat with this, actually? I mean, in that we haven't really thought much about who we like specifically." He looked up at the alpha next to him, smiling sweetly as Kimizuki flushed and looked away, and turned his attention back to the rest of the group. "I mean, I do have a bit of a thing for people who act all dark and broody but are really quite kind on the inside. They make me feel like the world isn't quite as bad as it seems under its rough, bleak outside." He smiled sweetly at Mika, making the blonde flush and scowl back at him, and Yuu felt a flare of appreciation for the omega rush through him- _he got it_. "I don't really think dynamic, gender, or scent matters as long as the person is nice enough. And as for kinks..." He grimaced, the shyness slipping away as a flicker of red flashed over his eyes. "..Well, let's just say that when you're in heat, anything sounds good. And no, Gekkoin, that is _not_ an invitation."

Narumi snorted. Kimizuki narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching away from his teeth as if he wanted to challenge Yoichi's demon but wasn't sure how.

Yuu was too busy wondering about what Yoichi had just said to pay attention. Were heats _really_ that intense? Did 'anything sound good' apply to people too, or just sexual satisfaction? Did...

...Did Mika undergo a heat in that underground city, desperate and gasping for anyone who would provide him with release? Did he spend days tangled up in sweaty sheets crying out for someone, anyone to help him, to mate and bond him?

Yuu hadn't even considered it a possibility before- for some reason, the fact that Mika was not a preteen, but fully-grown, hadn't really clicked in his mind yet- but now, with Mika right next to him, long-limbed and smelling like a fertile, adult omega, the thought of it was impossible to ignore. Mika wasn't a child anymore- he had grown up. And grown-up omegas had heats.

Somewhere deep inside of his mind rumbled with feral delight at the thought of it.

"...Yuu?" Oh fuck, Mika was looking at him. Straight face, Yuu, straight face. "...It's your turn now."

 _Oh_ _ **fuck.**_

"I don't really think this is necessary," he growled, grouchy on reflex, trying not to think about how fucking _blue_ Mika's eyes were, how wild and stunning they looked when they caught the light and the catlike pupils within them thinned to black diamond-like slits, how amazing it looked on him despite how obviously inhuman it was. Vampire eyes had no right to be so beautiful. "I mean, what's this gonna do for us? Knowing what gets each other off isn't gonna help us survive these vampires, or get Guren back."

'No, but it _will_ help when you go into rut and try to claim any and every viable mate in the vicinity." Shinoa's eyes gleamed in the firelight, her smile becoming less teasing, more serious. Fuck. She _knew_. "I mean, Guren told me that you spent your ruts holed up in your room being miserably depressed, but that was when you didn't have a pack, and we don't have that luxury when we're on the run. Now that your hormones are in balance and you don't have any territory of your own, you _will_ try to fight people for land and mates, and that can be dangerous. We're a pack of higher dynamics, Yuu. We're going to have to be especially careful around each other when spring approaches, and part of that carefulness is knowing who you're likely to chase after so we can avoid as much fighting over potential mates as possible."

Goddamn. She had a point. Yuu's first rut (and the ones had come after them) had been spent with him either pacing his room anxiously, jacking off to calm aggressive bouts, or curled up in his bed trying to sleep away the crippling loneliness. He'd been more irritable, miserable, and easily aroused than other times of the year, but he hadn't been around other people- Guren usually left him alone at the first sign of rut pheromones, lest it triggered his own. Yuu hadn't had anyone to challenge him for territory, he hadn't had a mate, he hadn't had anyone to challenge him for said nonexistent mate. He hadn't had a chance to be dangerous.

Yuu was a prideful alpha, but he wasn't so prideful that he would risk the health and well-being of his pack for his own image.

"Okay, okay. Fine." Yuu broke eye contact with Shinoa and stared sullenly at the ground, trying to figure out what he was going to say. Shit, did he even have anyone to describe?

Mika's presence felt like a burning fire by his side. Yuu swallowed, feeling his heartbeat speed up, and started rambling.

"Looks like bubblegum bitch and I actually have something in common here, because I've never actually paused to think about what I might like in a mate." Kimizuki's outraged snarling brought a grin to his face, but it disappeared quickly, the pounding race of his heartbeat and the newly-born revelation spinning in his mind making it hard to hold on to humour. "But, uh, theoretically speaking, I think I would like someone who would always stay by my side, who has my back no matter what sort of shit I get into. If I'm gonna commit to someone, I want them to be someone who accepts me for being an impulsive idiot, you know? Bonding is a really big deal- if I'm going to ever do something like that, I want it to be with someone I trust, someone I know understands me and will forgive me even if I fuck up big-time." He opened his hands and stared at the scars criss-crossing them; that one from when he was helping Akane with the cooking, that other one from when he was practicing swordfighting and dropped his blade, that tiny one from when he shot Ferid and the ornate carvings on the side of the falling gun nicked his palm, the ragged unevenness to it from all the times he slashed it open and open again so that he would never forget Mika or the orphans he left behind. "I don't really think that the dynamic matters, though I think that if I was to court another alpha then we would butt heads quite a bit. I'm not sure if the gender is a big factor, either, but if we're talking about who we find attractive, then I can't honestly say that a girl ever caught my attention." He licked his lips, flushing slightly at that- even though it was true, it narrowed down the pool of possibilities for him to choose from, gave him away a little bit more. "And, um, I tend to like scents that are sweeter, a bit...lemony, almost?" Mika had a sweet, lemony scent. "I don't really know why, it's just really soothing to me. Reminds me of good things, makes me feel hopeful." There was no way he could describe how he felt the day he saw Mika standing on that battlefield, the rush of happiness and hope and contentment he felt when he tucked his head into the crook of Mika's neck and scented him again for the first time in years. "And you know I don't really have any particular kinks already."

"Cherry boy," Shinoa cooed, but there was no malice in her tone. If anything, she sounded almost...awed. A quick look around the rest of the circle showed that most of the squad seemed to be in shock. "Wow, buddy, that shit was deep. You sure you're not already fucking someone? Because you sound like you're in love."

Mika was looking at him with an almost awestruck look on his face, eyes shining with some indecipherable emotion. Yuu scowled and shrugged, feeling his blush deepen at the attention. "You asked me what I look for in a mate. I answered you. Can we move on now."

"Sure, sure, it's just...goddamn." Shinoa shook her head and looked at him again, a new respect shining in her eyes. "I'm certainly not gonna bother with challenging you if you fall for anyone, ever. You're a passionate motherfucker even if you _are_ hiding your kinks for us."

She finished her food and leaned over to the side, rummaging around under her bags before pulling out the bag of marshmallows. She snagged a couple- craning her body out of Mitsuba's reach as the beta tried to smack them out of her hands- and passed the bag on to Kimizuki, shoving one of the marshmallows into Mitsuba's mouth with a smirk.

"There, Mitsuba, now you can't be mad at me." She twirled her marshmallow between her fingers, looking between it, a nice-looking stick on the ground, and the fire, then grimaced and popped it in her mouth. "Anyways, now that Yuu's poured his heart and soul out for us, it's your turn, Mika!"

Mika stiffened, his face turning from open admiration to a mask of stony stubbornness.

"Ah, not going to do it yourself, are we?" Shinoa asked, seeing the look on his face. The bag of marshmallows reached Yuu; he glanced into it, looked at Mika's face and Shinoa's smile, and passed it on to Mitsuba. "I see. I'll just fire the questions at you then, Mika dear, since you're _obviously_ so shy that you can't tell us about who you're crushing on."

Mika growled, soft and catlike, a quiet grumpy warning. Shinoa ignored it and leaned forward, posture open and inviting, smile wide and far friendlier than what she usually gave to the others. Yuu looked her over, noted the complete lack of hostility in her actions, and relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief he didn't even know he was holding in.

 _Oh. She's trying to include him, not bother him. She knew that skipping over him would exclude him, so she's taking care not to do that, while at the same time not forcing him to do something he's uncomfortable with entirely by himself._

That made the situation much, much easier for him to handle. Yuu leaned back, smiling at the surly pout on Mika's face (and he thought he was being the grumpy one!), and patted Mika gently on the back.

The omega jumped under his touch, looking around at him in surprise, and Yuu leaned forward as he did so, placing his mouth where he guessed Mika's ear would be so he could whisper to him, feeling his pulse race faster at their proximity.

"It's okay, Mika. You don't have to say anything you're not comfortable with." The fabric of Mika's uniform shifted with the rise and fall of his breathing, a comforting, instinctual motion, and Yuu found himself absently wondering if Mika's other bodily systems were still running even in his half-death, if he could place his head on his chest and hear Mika's heartbeat rise and fall with the intensities of his emotions. "Make it a game. The Great Mikaela wouldn't let a perverted little shit of an alpha get the best of him, now would he? Show her who's boss."

Maybe whispering to him was a bad idea. Mika was looking at him like a deer in headlights, his scent was absolutely _intoxicating_ this close to his neck, and Shinoa's smile was steadily growing more and more smug the longer they stayed close to each other.

Yuu cleared his throat and pulled away, giving Mika one last pat on the back before withdrawing. Mika blinked at him, then looked back at the fire, pale cheeks flushing slightly, and Shinoa pounced on the opening immediately, grinning menacingly.

"Aaaannyways, now that you two lovebirds are done giving each other pep talks, let's start!" She tilted her head at Mika, catching his gaze, and, in an overly cheerful voice, chirped "So, alphas, betas, or omegas?"

"Doesn't matter." Mika's voice was a growl again, his (very nice) lips turned down in a frown, though the flush hadn't disappeared off his face.

Shinoa nodded sagely. "Open to many options. Good man. Scent?"

Was that just the firelight, or did Mika's eyes flicker over to Yuu? "...Spicy. Citrine. Anything not like the underground."

Shinoa definatly looked over at Yuu. He curled his lip at her. "Nice. Personality?"

Mika looked down at his shoes. "...Supportive. Optimistic. Has to value family and have a good heart. I would prefer a mate who is willing to deal with my shortcomings, because otherwise I would be nothing but a burden to them, and that is the last thing I want."

Mika's voice was uncomfortably strained. Yuu frowned, hating the bitter, closed-off look on his face, and shuffled closer, rubbing soothing circles on his back to try to ease some of the tension.

He would have to speak to Mika about that later.

"Mmm-hmmm." Shinoa gave the two of them an amused glance, raising her eyebrows, and grinned suddenly. "Dick size?"

Any relaxation that had begun to ease back into Mika was gone in an instant.

"What?" He straightened his shoulders and bared his fangs at her, hissing angrily. Yuu gave Shinoa a warning growl, which Mika ignored- he was obviously far too focused on staring at the smirking alpha in mortification. "That wasn't in the list!"

"Oh? But I thought it might be important later." Shinoa's smirk was devilish, but not cruel- there was a warm sort of affection in her eyes as she gazed at Mika, a warmth that was the only thing that kept Yuu from lunging over the fire and pinning her to the ground. There was a ringing in his ears that he wasn't sure was from his alpha instincts, his overprotectiveness, or mortification. "And besides, I had to ask. I mean, you lived with that huge hunk of an alpha in the underground, after all. I'm just making sure your standards aren't too high."

"Wha- _Crowley?!_ " Mika's body did a weird full-length shiver, his legs crossing over each other tightly. He fiddled with the edges of his cloak as it passed, biting his lip, and shot Shinoa an incredulous glare. "Dear god no, he'd tear me in _half_ , I'm so glad he sees me as a pup, if he mated me it would be-"

Mika snapped his mouth shut, cutting himself off, and closed his eyes tight, shivering again. His scent was full of revulsion and apprehension, and Yuu's growl faltered as his concern for him rose, though he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief at Mika's admission.

Mika hadn't mated that huge alpha.

That was one possibility down.

"You know what? It's getting late." Mika stood up in a whirl, tugging Yuu up with him, and the alpha let out a yelp of surprise, the sudden motion jolting him out of his thoughts. "Yuu did a lot of fighting. He needs to get to bed."

"Wait, Mika, I'm not a pup-" Yuu cut himself off as Mika threw him a _look_. He knew what that look meant, even if he hadn't seen it much on Mika's face before.

 _If I have to deal with any more of these people's shit I'm gonna explode._

"...Yeah, Mika's right. I think we should go to bed." Yuu stepped back, letting Mika breeze past him to grab his sleeping roll, and looked out at the rest of his squad as sleepily and nonchalantly as possible. None of them looked convinced with his little charade, but he couldn't give two fucks about it; Mika's scent was radiating anxiety and distress now, and everything in him was calling him to it, telling him that he needed to protect, to help, to comfort. Shinoa's teasing jokes could wait for another day; if he ignored Mika for any longer, he was going to snap. "Who's taking first watch?"

"Me, since I didn't tire myself out with all this drama about mate preferences." Narumi stood and stretched out with a yawn, retrieving his trident and using it to shovel dirt over the fire to dim it. There was an amused glint in his warm amber eyes, one that took the bite out of his sarcastic tone. "Go sleep with your omega, since he's so kind as to prepare your bed for you."

Yuu frowned, not quite sure how to take that, and looked back at Mika. The omega had rolled out the sleeping bag closer to the treeline, just far enough away from the fire to be comfortable; the sight of him fussing over the pillows, fluffing and rearranging them to be just right, filled Yuu with a strange sense of warmth and longing, a weird sort of tenderness that was not unfamiliar, but not common, either.

 _He looks like he's nesting for me._

The thought hit him weirdly, filled him with an instinctive sort of protectiveness, and he blinked away the overwhelming swell of emotion, feeling a weird rumbling sensation well up in his throat. He swallowed it down, buried it where he kept the 'needs to be looked at later' cache of thoughts and memories, and walked over to where Mika was curling up in his bed, paying no heed to the soft good-nights of the others as they collected the garbage and dimmed down the fire.

 _Why am I so weird today?_

Mika looked up at him, still tense, still embarrassed, and the silver glow of the moonlight caught the pale blue of his eyes like they were pools of water, reflecting back an ethereal, silvery glow. He looked like a ghost in pale light, incorporeal, almost, like if Yuu touched him he would dissipate and fly away, just another specter of the night.

 _Why do I feel like everything inside of me is flying?_

Yuu lay down by his side and reached for him anyway, brushing a fine lock of hair out of Mika's face so he had a clear view of his eyes. Mika looked at him softly, breath hitching audibly, and pressed his cheek against Yuu's palm with a sigh of relaxation, like the alpha's touch grounded him.

Yuu's heartbeat fluttered in his throat, as quick and insubstantial as bird wings, and it was with a sigh of his own that he reached forward and pulled Mika closer, resigning himself to a night of restless sleep as he felt the omega nuzzle closer with a low noise of satisfaction.

 _Why does it feel like with you in my arms, I am whole?_


	22. Chapter 22

Yuu slept deeply that night, lulled by exhaustion and the weight of his own troubles, and as he slept, he dreamed.

He dreamed that it was dark, and that he was trudging through snow as deep as his thighs, the cloak wrapped around him ragged, the weight of the pack strapped to his back pressing him down towards the snow, begging his weary body to rest. The cold bit him to the bone, sliding its icy claws through every gap in his clothing, nipping at his nose, frosting ice over his eyes, burning in his lungs. His breath clouded out white. Asuramaru was buckled to his hip, but the blade was heavy and quiet in a way that it had never been before, and his mind was empty, numb to anything but exhaustion and the frost slowly creeping its way through his limbs.

A hiss cut through the dark winter night, loud over the soft whistling of the falling snow. Yuu closed his eyes in resignation, breathed out a weary sigh, and turned to look at the vampire stalking quietly behind him.

Glaring red eyes were the first thing that jumped out at him, their cold red light a bloody, startling contrast to the whites, blacks and greys surrounding them. The gleam of needle-sharp fangs bared under taunt lips was the next most noticeable detail, followed then by the sharp, angry lines of the vampire's shoulders, the thin material of his uniform, the collar circling a throat vibrating with a growl, and the halo of white gold hair that framed the monster's gaunt face.

To any reasonable human, the vampire Mikaela looked like a starved lion hunting its prey, a hungry predator poised to strike. Anyone with a will to live would fear him. To Yuu, who had long grown accustomed to having the bane of humanity dog his footsteps, the sight of him evoked not fear, but despair.

"We're going nowhere fast," Mika hissed. His breath didn't cloud- there was no heat in his body left for the cold to steal. His steps through the snow were light and untroubled. Frost hung heavy on his cape, but it showed no sign of slowing him down. He looked like a nightmare walking, a creature birthed from the darkest mire of humanity's fears. "And I can hear your heart faltering. This endeavor is hopeless, Yuuichirou. We should have stayed at the last rest stop longer."

Yuu closed his eyes again at the sound of his full name. Mika had dropped his sweet childhood nicknames half a year back, months after they started their journey, almost three years after he had tasted human blood for the first time and the rest of his squad had fallen under the claws of the progenitors that had hunted them. The loss of them stung more than they rightfully should.

"We must have hope, Mika," he said, though his voice was hollow with despair, his words empty. "After all, there's nowhere else for us to go."

Mika hissed again, the sound like the whisper of death on the wind, and fell silent. Yuu grit his teeth against the pain and forced himself to keep trudging through the snow he was immersed in, fighting the exhaustion in his mind and his body with every step.

There was nothing ahead and nothing behind them. Mika had lost himself; there was no hope for a cure for him, no matter how much Yuu prattled on, no matter how much they searched the ruined libraries of the old army bases for any spell to give his humanity back to him. Asuramaru had abandoned him with his hope. His body was giving out on him. It would be so easy to just give up and lie down in the snow, just to rest for a little bit, just to let the snow cover him and the cold steal the last of the breath from his lungs, just for a little…

The dream shifted.

This time, the sky was not dark and cold, but white-hot and scorching. The air shimmered with waves of heat and hazy trails of smoke as fires burned across a blood-red plain, eating up anything and everything in their paths, devouring the still-struggling friends and enemy alike.

For Yuu, who hovered leagues above the hellscape on coal-black wings, this was of no concern. The fires couldn't touch him. The burning rays of the sun invigorated him. He soared silently over a plain of death, his body humming with power beyond the furthest reaches of a human's imagination, and surveyed the sight with eyes sharper than an eagle's, a detachment that he had never been able to achieve when he had been human laid thick over his mind.

Behind him came a flash of bright white light and a detonation louder than thunder. This too, he ignored. The human sinners and the fallen angels battling below him were both armed to the teeth with magical weapons, weapons that they had no right to touch. He would let them play a little longer, and then he would extinguish them, and the world would be silent and pure of sin once again.

But the skies were not as empty as he had first assumed.

A blur of white caught his eye as he pivoted slowly, a sweep of wind brushed his feathers, and he spun in the air with a twitch of his wings to investigate, his lowest pair sweeping towards the ground as he hovered. And he watched with detached curiosity as above him, slender body cast in a halo of fiery sunlight, another angel did the same, their glorious, pure white wings stroking the air as they angled to watch him.

Even though some part of what was once Yuuichirou knew that seeing another seraphim was rare and probably worth observing, he did not approach. Everything in his body hummed with a power that was not his own, from his fragile human form to the tips of his corroded black feathers, and he knew instinctively that if he were to approach without invitation, he would be burned. This seraph was a king among angels, and he was but a speck against their radiance, a candle held against the storm of a raging wildfire. It would not be right for him to approach.

The watching angel angled their wings into a dive and circled closer, gliding down on air currents that did not exist until they breathed them into life. This close, the angel that was once Yuuichirou could see that their wings were not pure white, as he had first expected, but crystalline, reflecting all the colours yet found in heaven and earth. The light of them was blinding, even to another seraph, but the King of Salt did not close his eyes; instead, he stayed stock still, not moving, not breathing, letting the crackling energy of the other seraph keep his wings aloft in lieu of the wind.

The other seraph circled them once, then banked their wings and hovered, only a breath away from Yuuichirou. Their shimmering feathers swirled around them, sweeping over their eyes, curling around their body, brushing lightly over Yuuichirou's ruined wings, and each touch burned, burned in a way that felt like redemption. Their form was familiar; somewhere, deep inside of the corrupted angel's mind, a lost voice cried recognition, but it was silenced along with every other thought in the seraph's mind as the other tilted their head, lifted their wings from their eyes, and spoke.

 _You are impure_. The angel's lips did not move, but their voice whispered through Yuuichirou's head all the same, speaking in a language that rang like church bells. There was no judgement in their voice, but Yuu still felt their disappointment, as heavy and painful as a sword to the chest would be, back when he had still been human.

Yuuichirou spread his wings like he was gliding and did not reply. There was no need for it; the other angel could see any and everything that was going through his mind. They could see his sorrow, his bitterness at being used, his rage and his hurt, his longing for purity. There was nothing for him to hide, no reason for him to beg forgiveness. They could see everything.

The other angel glided closer, closer. This close, Yuuichirou could feel their breath against his lips, though he knew they had no reason to breathe. This close, the light of them burned, and he closed his eyes, if only for a brief moment, for even with the eyes of a seraph, the sight of them blinded him.

When he opened them, the other seraph was looking back at him, face no longer obscured by rainbow feathers, and the ring of their irises were not gold, but a blue as clear as the morning sky.

Something inside Yuuichirou, something still human, broke. The King of Salt gasped, feeling a pain he had never experienced before lance through him, and his wings crumpled and folded against his body, shrouding him in a cloak of black feathers. The other angel tilted their- _his_ \- head curiously, the slow flap of his wings still holding the both of them aloft, and reached out to gently pull the other angel close to him, swiping oil-dark tears away from his cheeks, soothing him as he gasped and shuddered in pain.

 _Hush_ , said Archangel Michael, bowing his head so that their foreheads pressed together, and Yuuichirou howled, grief and recognition raging through him like a storm. His wings shuddered, lifted, and then fell limp, the feathers disintegrating into black dust, pure white light eating away at them, dissolving them into nothingness.

 _Hush. You're safe._ And for a moment, the other seraph's mind-voice wavered, wavered until he sounded like the child that housed him, his own grief at what they had both lost shining through the tattered remnants of his humanity.

Yuu keened, feeling the weight of his wings disappear, feeling the inhuman rage that fed him for so long lift from his heart, feeling his grief and his pain for what was once his best friend wash him clean. He sagged in the angel's arms, magic stripped from him, and Michael shifted his hold on him so that he could cradle his fragile body in his arms. He was cold as ice, under the burn of his magic, under the wreath of his halo, as cold as Mika used to be when he was still a vampire and they were still two almost-lovers roaming the earth looking for a place for them to rest, and Yuu mourned again the loss of what had made him human, the loss of the future that they could have had together.

 _Hush_ , came the voice again, and this time the waver in his voice was prominent, the sound of Mika's voice under the chime of a language older than time unmistakable as the seraph hugged Yuu close. _It's okay. I've got you. You're okay. You're safe now. Everything is going to be okay._

Yuu clung to the tattered remnants of the seraph's clothes (a vampire uniform; how could he not recognize it? How could he forget?) and closed his eyes against the blinding light. Michael- _Mikaela's_ \- wings folded around him, the touch of his feathers soft, no longer burning against his skin. A darkness was gathering in his mind,numbing everything that it touched, and he succumbed to it, too exhausted to keep fighting, too exhausted to cry anymore.

The last thing he heard before the darkness took him was the sound of screaming as a blinding white light overtook the world and the soft sweet sound of a lullaby as the angel that Mika had become slowly sang him to sleep.

There was an all encompassing stillness, a blackness heavier than death. And then the darkness _twisted_ , twisted to form something new again, and this time Yuu could feel the brush of another mind against his own, far more dark and convoluted than the touch of Michael's thoughts. And then, suddenly, he could think for himself again, for he had found the chink in the armour of the dream, and he took ahold of it and _twisted_ , and the velveteen darkness tore away and dumped his ass squarely back on the white marble expanse of his mindspace.

Yuu blinked at the light shining through the hazy white clouds and sat up, wincing in pain as his back and his tailbone screamed in protest from their (unnecessarily hard) landing. Fuckin' _ouch_.

"Asuramaru," he growled, sweeping the horror of his demon-induced nightmares from his mind. "What the actual _fuck_ was that."

The demon perched nonchalantly on the sword buried in the stone before him pivoted to look at him, one eyebrow arching as he moved. To the untrained eye, he was nothing more than an innocent bystander, puzzled by the inquiry cast at him; to Yuu, who knew Asuramaru's mannerisms as intimately as he knew his own mind, the demon was practically radiating guilt.

Not that he felt guilt for his actions. Even caught red-handed, Asuramaru was as nonchalant about the damage done by his actions as any other professional mindfucker would be.

"What was that? Well, I don't know, Yuu." Asuramaru tilted his head. His dull red eyes gleamed with a challenge, and the growl in Yuu's throat increased in intensity, refusing to back down. "How about you think it over and come back to me when you have the answer? I'm sure it will give me quite enough time to come up with a plethora of adequate responses. You aren't the most perceptive person out there, you know."

Yuu snarled and snapped his teeth, thoroughly fed up with his demon's bullshit. There were no scents in this sterile mindscape, but he was grimly positive that before Asuramaru had become a demon, he had been presenting as an alpha; there was enough gleefully ruthless jabs at his authority for it to be impossible for him to be anything else."Cut it, Asura. I beat your little ruse. You lost to me, and you know it. Don't pretend otherwise."

Asuramaru's eyes narrowed, but his self-satisfied smirk didn't vanish. "Clever." He readjusted his weight on his sword, claws clicking against the metal as he settled. "Far more clever than you let on. I weep at the waste of the intelligence that you don't use, Yuuichirou."

Yuu didn't reply. He met the demon's challenging stare and didn't look away, waiting without words for the explanation that was nearly within his grasp.

Asuramaru blinked, breaking eye contact, and the alpha half of Yuu's mind roared in victory, gloating at its domination over the other. The demon twitched a little, no doubt irked by it, but he did nothing more than give his human a wry smile. "Fine. You've beat me this time; next time, I won't be so easily defeated."

Yuu waited patiently. Asuramaru shifted again, perching on the sword in a manner more akin to a gargoyle than a demon, and sighed. "I did give you those nightmares, yes. But I gave them to you for a reason- they were not a test, but a warning."

Yuu frowned. Asuramaru caught the question that swam to the forefront of his thoughts and bared his teeth at him, flashing fangs that were not needle-thin like a vampire's, but thick and curved like a wolf's, fangs perfect for tearing into flesh. Yuu figured it would probably be more terrifying if Asuramaru wasn't so goddamned tiny. "Don't scowl at me. You figured something out today that directly threatens my nature and our bond. It was only instinct for me to react to it as I did."

Yuu angled his head, studying the resigned slump of Asuramaru's shoulders, not quite yet understanding what the demon was getting at. "What-"

"Oh, by the strength of hell's fires." Asuramaru cast his arms up at the sky, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Your vampire. Your omega. Your partner. You're in love with him, aren't you?" He looked back down at Yuu, giving him a sharp glare. "And don't you dare fucking deny it. Remember, I'm in your head with you. I have to deal with this bullshit every day."

The words struck Yuu like a physical blow. For a moment, he struggled to breathe, overcome by memories of being with Mika, memories of his happiness, of the longing interwoven through each one of them, a longing that he he had ignored for so long, so convinced that it was merely an aftereffect of his reunion with him.

He remembered how losing Mika had felt like losing himself, how he had spent his years without him bitter and empty, snapping at everything and everyone to try to prevent the holes in his heart from being torn open further, his only goal to kill those who had taken his precious family from him, to try to patch the gaping wounds in his soul back together with the thread of vengeance that tied him so tentatively to life. He remembered the nights spent crying out in his dreams, calling to Mika, calling to someone who he thought would never come. He remembered meeting the demon in the basement, disguised as Mika, feeling the alpha rage that turned his vision to red and his words to weapons, because how _dare_ the demon take the visage of the one who was the other half to his heart, how _dare_ it pretend to be someone so precious, so pure at heart, how dare-

He remembered their reunion, at the shock and grief and joy and vitality that had flooded through the holes in his heart at the sight of Mika staring back at him, alive, whole. He remembered how he felt like he had felt whole for the first time in four years when he had knelt on the gore-slicked ground of the battlefield, holding Mika in his arms, something that he never thought he would be able to do again. He remembered how he had woken up and cried and how he hadn't minded the tears, because for the first time in so long, he was happy. He was happy and whole and full of hope, and the world was beautiful and the future was bright, because Mika was alive, because he wasn't some corpse abandoned in Sanguinem's cold marble halls, he was _alive_ and _here_ and _he still wanted him_...

He remembered how he would watch as Mika moved, how he would admire how handsome he had become, how his affection for him felt like a knife in his heart. He remembered how he loved to curl up next to him and rest his head in the crook of his neck, how his scent made him feel like he was coming home. He remembered how warm and happy he felt with Mika at his side, how even the inhuman, predatory features gifted to him by his sire felt not like a curse, but a blessing, because they had saved his life, because the curse now surging through his blood had given him back to him. He remembered how seeing Mika upset had triggered every protective instinct in his body, how he had longed to smooth away his rough edges, how he longed to make him laugh. He remembered how watching Mika pin down the vampire noble and tear him to shreds had made his blood run hot, how his heartbeat had raced in his chest to see Mika so fierce and perfect and beautiful, a god-made killing machine, a perfect match for his demon-cursed mind and the angels that swam in the heavens of his thoughts and the feral lust for vengeance that enthralled him everytime Shinoa gave the go-ahead for a vampire hunt.

He thought of how badly he wanted to kiss him, how he loved Mika marking him as his and how the squad referring to him as Mika's alpha felt _right_ , and everything fell perfectly into place.

"Holy shit," he mumbled, feeling his face flush. There wasn't really anything else he could say.

"Yes, holy shit," Asuramaru grumbled. He looked a little green in the face. Apparently, sappiness wasn't really all that great for demons' wellbeing.

"Holy shit," Yuu said again.

This time, Asuramaru actually hissed. "Okay, we get it, Jesus fucking Christ. 'Holy shit'. Yes, you complete fucking dumbass, you're in love."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Yuu said this time, because he was still kind of out of the loop from his revelation, but not enough for him not to take some pleasure out of pissing off his demon. "I really am in love with him."

"Glory fucking halleluyah. It's a new age. Bask upon his wisdom, for the stupid bastard finally gets it," Asuramaru grumbled sarcastically. "Okay, now that we've got the basics of your fixation with Mika down, let's talk about how this affects shit. Primarily, our contract, and how you're probably going to interact with it."

Yuu shook himself out of his haze and tried his best to focus on Asuramaru's words. Figuring out he was in love with Mika was surprising, but at the same time, it felt like hearing something he knew all along, even if he had never put it into consideration. Being in love with Mika was like knowing that the sun would rise every morning and that the sky was blue and that he was alive. It was natural as living, as natural as breathing- he had never had to think about it before, and so he didn't, though now he was somewhat regretting all the missed opportunities that had passed him by. "What 'bout our contract?"

"Your wish to mate Mikaela may affect how you utilize my powers in the future, and I wish for you to be aware of it." Asuramaru tilted his head at the sound of Yuu's indignant choking. "Oh, don't be like that. You know I couldn't give less of a shit about your interest in fucking him, even if it _is_ an interest you are only now aware of. I feed on your lust- bloodlust, lust for vengence, lust for a good dicking- whatever. I'm not going to judge, you know."

Yuu coughed, wishing vehemently that Asuramaru was not as good at reading him as he was. At least now he knew why the only people in the porn magazines Guren left around the house that got him off were the blonde ones. "Shut up. You're like, twelve."

Asuramaru smirked. "I'm like, three thousand." He then grew serious. "To be honest, even though I gave you shit for loving him, that in itself wasn't all that new. I knew he was precious to you the moment I stepped into your mind. I know that the reason that you took up a contract with me was for him. What worries me is not how you defend him- for you _would_ give up your life for him, were he to ask- but how reckless your knowledge of your love for him will make you." He tapped his claws against the hilt of his sword, eyes glazing over, gazing at some memory of the past that Yuu was not a part of. "Love is blinding, Yuuichirou. It can lead you to victory just as easily as it can lead you to ruin. We must take care to not let it ruin you."

Yuu felt a chill race down his spine, but he shook it off. It was true; he would die for Mika. But he would also die for his squad, for Guren, for anyone who needed saving- it wasn't just about love, it was about trying not to let precious lives be extinguished before their time. He honestly couldn't see what was so bad about letting himself be killed if it meant more people were saved. "I don't get it. Just a few weeks ago, you were commanding me to give over control of my body, and now you want me to be careful? Don't be a hypocrite, Asuramaru."

The demon bared his fangs, and oh, now he was pissed. Great. "A hypocrite? Me? If I need remind you, Yuu, I wished to have your body for myself, not destroy it needlessly, as you are so inclined to do. We share this form together." He leaped off his sword and stalked over to Yuu, eyes narrowing, folding his arms over his chest. He wasn't particularly imposing, sightwise- he looked like a chihuahua trying to be tough- but Yuu flinched anyways. He had battled Asuramaru many times before, and he knew that the demon was a fast, relentless fighter. He had no wish to repeat such a battle, not when he had been conversing so diplomatically with him before. "I wish to take your body for myself, yes. I won't deny that. If I am successful, I might take your heart and turn you into a demon as well, so that I am no longer alone in this prison. But I don't want you to die." He curled his claws into his fists, digging them into his palms. "You're my hands, my eyes, my ears, my food source, and you are one of the few who can seal a contract with me. If you are to be lost, then what will become of me? How many more years will I wait blindly for another opportunity? How many more years will I hunger?" The demon blinked, then tipped his head to the side. "No, I do not wish for you to die. Not yet."

Yuu grit his teeth, sorrow and irritation for the demon's plight battling over his heart. On one hand, Asuramaru's interests in his survival were wholly selfish. But on the other hand, Yuu could not imagine what it would be like to spend centuries lost on a cold white plain, not knowing when he would eat again or if there was anyone else out there to keep him company.

Sorrow won.

"You know, you could have just asked me for help." He knelt down to Asuramaru's level, looked him in the eyes as if he were equal. The arched brow Asuramaru offered in return indicated that he wasn't as impressed with Yuu's efforts as the alpha originally planned. "I don't want us to fight. I want us to be friends. Living would be much easier if we worked together, you know."

"Friends. Ha! You may not be fully human, Yuu, but you are as fully delusional as one." Wry mirth shone in Asuramaru's eyes, but he made no move to attack him. Yuu considered this a small victory. "No, Yuu, we are not friends. Not in your sense of the word."

Yuu shrugged nonchalantly. "Then we will be friends as you define it. I don't care either way. I just want to reach an understanding with you." He stood and smirked wryly down at the demon in front of him. "One hopefully done without you tearing me a new one."

Asuramaru bared his fangs again, but this time, it was in a sly grin. Yuu smiled back, relieved that the tension between the two of them had passed. "Now, you still didn't clarify why you gave me those nightmares specifically. Call me stupid, but I would rather know why they were like that from their source than make up some half-assed guess."

His demon blinked, seemingly surprised. "Oh, but I thought that you already knew."

 _Oh, goddammit not again._ "No, I really don't."

Asuramaru tapped a claw against his lip pensively, looking up at the hazy white sky, then turned and leapt up onto his sword. He looked down at Yuu, serious once more, and Yuu felt ice slip down his spine yet again.

"Wasn't it obvious? I was merely showing you glimpses of possible futures." The demon's eyes were dark, darker than death, a void into the yawning mouth of hell, and suddenly, he did not look as harmless as Yuu originally thought. He looked like something that crept through shadows and fed on fear, something that, if Yuu were to approach, would swallow him whole. And then he blinked, and the demon's form shifted back into what it once was. Asuramaru, seemingly unaware of his existential glitch, looked up towards the sky once more. "Ah, your mate is getting up. Why, I can't tell, but-" he took a deep breath, and Yuu felt his body- his _physical_ body- move in response. "-he smells nervous. Time for the night watch, maybe?" He looked back down, smirk devious. "You better wake up to find out."

Yuu startled awake.

The first thing he saw was the moon, hazy through stinging, blurry eyes. His body was heavy and unresponsive, asleep still- even though he had been wide awake in his nightmares, it was clear that the same was not true for the rest of him.

The next thing he saw was a flutter of white as Mika shifted beside him, no doubt hearing the sudden increase in his heart rate. Yuu's breath caught in his chest when he realized that his face was pressed into the vampire's side, Mika's hand circling his wrist, undoubtedly in the process of detangling himself to get up.

"Yuu?" he whispered, and the sound of him, alive and well, sent a twinge of relief through the alpha's body. He sounded and smelled anxious, but not in a way that was overly concerning- just typical Mika worrying. Yuu closed his eyes again and let the confused tangle of emotions in his chest crash over him like a wave, too tired to parse through them yet. "Why are you awake? Did you have a nightmare?"

 _Yes_ , Yuu thought, but he didn't say it. Instead, he slid his arm from Mika's grasp and took his hand, tangling their fingers together.

Mika's breath hitched, but Yuu was too sleepy to think much of it.

"W're you goin'?" He fought a yawn and blinked blearily, trying to look up at Mika's face. His eyes wouldn't focus- he didn't realize just how exhausting fighting to free himself from Asuramaru's delusions had left him until he was awake. The attempt to stifle his yawn failed. "Wha-"

"I need to check the woods, Yuu." Mika slid himself further out of the bedroll, and Yuu made a soft noise of complaint as the warmth of him left him. Their fingers, however, stayed interlocked- apparently Mika was just as unwilling to let go as he was. "Some vampires could have followed us back. I want to make sure we're safe."

Typical Mika, always worrying about everybody. The thought almost made Yuu smile- he responded instead by lifting Mika's hand up to his lips to kiss it, acting on an impulse that he was too sleepy to fight, letting the confusing rush of a new revelation guide him.

Mika stilled with a gasp. His scent sweetened, his fingers trembling in Yuu's grasp as his pulse sped up, and Yuu hummed sleepily and brushed his thumb across the back of Mika's hand to calm it.

"That's good," he mumbled, and gently pressed their interlocked hands to the pulse point in his throat, not thinking much of it. Already, sleep was overtaking his mind; battling demons was taxing, and his body wanted to rest. His grip grew lax; Mika spread his fingers, but didn't move away. "Stay safe."

"I will," Mika said softly. There was something warm in his voice, something warm and fragile. Yuu felt heat flush through his chest, tender and wonderfully intimate, and then he slipped into a sleep without dreams, a smile still fixed to his face.


	23. Chapter 23

Yuu had kissed him.

Yuu had _kissed_ him.

Mika pressed his hand to his mouth, heart thundering in his chest. The spot that Yuu had kissed was still warm, and it smelled like him- he's scentmarked it, he'd _scentmarked_ his _hand_. Yuu had kissed him _and_ claimed him as his, and he'd done it when he was barely coherent, when he was running on nothing but pure instinct.

The implications...the implications of that…

Did Yuu know what he was doing? Did he know what it meant? For what he had just done was explicitly romantic- no way out of it, no way around it. Yuu had _kissed_ him, had cradled his hand and kissed it and pressed his scent to it wasn't fake. It wasn't forced. Mika hadn't manipulated him into doing it as a pity thing, to comfort him- he had been asleep. He had been asleep, and he had smiled softly and mumbled to him with a voice full of concerned affection, and he had _kissed him_.

Mika's heart was louder than thunder, a resonant, wild drumbeat in his chest. Every part of him was thrumming, alive- he could feel his pulse hammering in his throat, faster than the slow, barely-there beats of a vampire's heart. He could feel the cold night's air in his lungs as he gulped it down, gasping like a drowning man. He could feel the warmth in his cheek, and a tingling in his gut, feelings stirring to life under the coat of ice they slept under.

It was exhilarating. It was terrifying. It froze his thoughts, left him unable to move, to think, and it stirred his blood, warming his heart. It felt like standing on a precipice, looking down as the wind blew up, knowing that even the slightest shift of the breeze could send him toppling to his death.

Mika had never forgotten what it was like to be in love. But he had forgotten how it was like to feel hope.

Because- because yes, that was hope. Because he hadn't done anything to make Yuu pity him enough to kiss him as an appeasement; he had not started this. This was all _Yuu_.

His scent was too sweet, too full of excitement. Mika hunched his shoulders, taking a deep, calming breath, and tried tried to gain more control over his body. Yuu needed rest; if he were to wake now, there was undoubtedly going to be a good deal of questioning, and Mika was still too giddy with wonder to be able to distract him.

The cool night air had nothing on the warmth in his cheeks or the fluttering in his heart. Mika frowned, slightly embarrassed at how reactive he was, and chided himself for his lack of control.

 _Get a grip. You don't know Yuu's motives just yet, stupid. We're in the middle of running away from a battle, pursued by not only the Demon Army, but by Ferid and the high lords of Sanguinem's council. Your objective is not to take him as your mate, but to keep him safe._

 _And besides, you're running out of blood. The only option after that is to either die, or to become a full vampire. And who's to say Yuu would want to be around a monster like you? If he does love you back, it's only for what you used to be. Don't lose focus on what's really important._

The reminder sobered him. He sighed, watching as the slight puff of breath clouded in the moonlight. There was still warmth left in his body- warmth that, were he to fully transform, would be stolen from him, just like the rest of his humanity. And Mika knew that he would rather die than to live the rest of eternity as the monster that murdered his family.

His sword seemed heavier than it usually was when he buckled it to his hip. Mika slid it partially out of its sheath and ran a hand lightly down the edge, watching apathetically as the razor-sharp blade bit into his skin. He remembered, distant as a dream, the time that his sword was first given to him- the way the vampire weaponmaster told him it would bond to his blood, how the enchantment embedded in it would keep him safe as it fed from his veins. How ironic, then, that it would be the weapon to take his life in order to protect his family.

For the hum in his veins was getting stronger, and the satisfaction from Krul's blood was getting weaker. He could feel the feralness of hunger pressing into his mind, moreso than it ever had before, now that he was away from the dusty stink of vampires and surrounded by the living warmth of humans. Soon, he would drink, and there would be no appeasement gained from it, no way of fending off the monster mingled into his mind. He would either be forced to drink, or to drag himself away and let death take him- whether it be from starvation, or from his own hands.

There was a pang of longing in his heart, a wistfulness for times he would lose when he died- but he shook it off, and steeled himself. The world didn't need anymore vampires. Yuu only needed him to survive. All he had to do was ration the little blood he had left, and to make sure that he lasted long enough to see him to safety.

The moon was past its zenith by now-prime time for vampires to start hunting, and a bell began to ring in the back of Mika's mind, instinctively telling him to check for for the night watch- time to patrol. Mika shifted, restless and torn, and glanced around, his heart fluttering in his throat as he contemplated what he was about to do.

Nobody was watching. Mitsuba and Shinoa, usually the lighter sleepers, were fast asleep, their breaths deep and even, the rhythm of their heartbeats slow and steady. Farther away, still within the range of his hearing, Kimizuki and Narumi were the same. He couldn't quite sense Yoichi- but then again, it was Yoichi's turn to guard, and he had probably stationed himself somewhere farther away and higher up to enable the greatest range of his demon-enhanced eyesight. He wouldn't be looking back at camp.

There was no one to see what he was about to do.

Mika glanced around, feeling nervous despite himself, and leaned down to press a kiss to Yuu's forehead.

His skin was warm against his lips, warm and sweet with his scent. Mika abruptly pulled back, feeling his heart race in his chest, and glanced around, nervous that someone had seen him, that what he had just done was taboo. But nobody lept out of the brush, crying out about monsters, and Yuu did not stir, still lost deep within his slumber. Nobody had noticed; and to be honest, Mika wasn't sure he was so afraid for them to know.

 _Maybe I'm just too scared that people will use me. Maybe I'm just scared that he will get hurt_.

His lips still tingled from the kiss. Mika raised a hand to his mouth, pressing his fingertips against the warmth still lingering there, and cast a longing glance back at Yuu. He was sleeping with his nose scrunched up, an inquisitive look on his face- Mika could only barely imagine what he was dreaming of, what it was like to dream things that weren't replayed memories.

He could only hope that whatever Yuu was dreaming wasn't a nightmare.

Mika took a moment to brush a lock of hair out of Yuu's face, to feel the warmth of his skin, and then he took off, slipping away into the darkness within the trees.

.

.

.

Just as he had thought, Yoichi was perched up a tree, bow out, a bright green sigil glowing over his face. Mika opened his mouth, letting the acidic taste of demon magic sweep over his tongue, and then he leapt up into the tree with him, letting his instincts guide him to the highest bough.

Yoichi jumped when he settled next to him, the sigil disappearing as his focus broke. Mika internally sighed in relief as the pressure of the demon magic dissipated, but he didn't let it show. Already he was dreading being near Yoichi, hating the way that he turned and smiled at him like he really cared, like everything was okay if only he believed hard enough.

"Mika?" Yoichi whispered- and fuck, he sounded concerned. Mika grit his teeth, his two pairs of fangs clicking together painfully. "Are you okay?"

"Have you seen any vampires around?" Mika whispered back, trying his best not to jump away from the other omega. He wanted to patrol his territory more than anything, but Yoichi had a sharp eye, and he'd been watching the perimeter for longer than Mika had. Any data he would be able to give would help him hunt them down.

Yoichi's nose crinkled as he thought. "No, not anywhere close enough to be relevant. There were some stalking around the treeline a little bit earlier, but I wasn't able to see if they got in or not. There were no signs of them going through the trees."

Mika cursed softly in Russian. Yoichi shot him a confused glance. "Uh, Mika…?"

"Which perimeter?" This time, Mika looked Yoichi straight in the eye, refusing to back down. The other omega flinched, surprised by the act of domination, and dropped his gaze, submitting. Mika felt a sick thrill course through him, a confusing mix of triumph and regret. He'd wanted Yoichi to listen, but he didn't want him to have to submit. He wasn't that kind of person.

 _You must have gotten human and vampire social cues mixed up again. Dammit._

"Please," he murmured, trying to soften his voice. It wasn't easy- Mika had spent too many years trying to banish the weakness from his voice for it to come naturally anymore. "I need to know where they were. It'll help me try to keep them away from camp."

Yoichi tilted his head back up again, surprised- and then he smiled, soft and understanding, and Mika abruptly wished that he hadn't said a word. "Of course! I saw them lurking around the northeast. Want me to point them out for you?"

"No," Mika growled, already shifting his weight off the branch. He was regretting asking Yoichi for help already. "I know where it is, thanks. Leave it to me."

"You're welcome!" Yoichi chirped, readjusting his position. The sigil light up again, the oppressive crush of the demon magic returning. Mika slipped down a few branches, curling his lip at the uncomfortable prickle it left on his skin- but his bared fangs and disgruntled expression didn't stop Yoichi from looking down with a smile on his face and wishing him good luck.

Something about the kind openness in his gaze pricked at his chest, set a deep, steady ache in his heart not unlike that of an open wound. Mika shook his head, a hiss of disquiet rumbling from his throat as he started to head to the northeast, the thrum of power from Yoichi's weapon fading as he walked.

The woods were quiet, dead except for the rustle of small animals running through the underbrush. Mika felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, his vampiric senses coming alive with the peculiar strangeness of being fully alone again. It reminded him of Sanguinem, quiet and dark with thin slashes of light- but it wasn't, it _wasn't_ , he was outside and if he looked up he was able to see the moon beyond the trees, not miles of dirt and rock and cold, dark marble.

He took a shaky breath he didn't know he needed, letting the tension drain from his body when he exhaled. This wasn't Sanguinem. Ferid wasn't lurking around the corner, he didn't have to run to Krul's room to hide until his scent faded from the halls. He was outside, and he was free, and Yuu had forgiven him and had kissed his knuckles like he was something precious, something worth living for, and now it was _his_ job to stalk the borders of _his_ territory and dispatch any vampires roaming into it as _he_ saw fit. _He_ was the one in control here- not Krul, not Ferid. _Him_.

The pep talk helped a bit, but he still felt restless. It was too unsafe, too exposed to be on the ground- he itched to perch somewhere high up, somewhere he would be able to watch the woods without being seen.

Somewhere far off, leaves rustled, a twig creaking as if something had stepped lightly onto it, barely managing not to break it. Mika froze, cocking his head towards the noise.

It came again, a little closer this time. Instinct took over, lending him the harsh edge of a hunter, and he glanced quickly around the grove he was in, trying to get his bearings.

The rustle came again, but closer now. He swore softly under his breath, then glanced around one last time before opting to watch from above.

Mika scaled his way up a tree, not wanting to admit to himself how _right_ it felt to perch high above the ground, and swept his gaze over the expanse of the forest, watching suspiciously for movement. The light of the waxing moon rendered the darkness as clear as daylight to his eyes; surely, he would be able to catch any lurkers before they suspected his position.

A soft footstep- softer than that of a human's- echoed through the forest, and Mika swiveled his head towards the noise, his ears flickering under his mane of hair as he tried to pinpoint the source. There was the slightest possibility that it that it belonged to a child; but no, the footsteps came again, and then again, and the spacing between them indicated strides too long for a child.

 _Vampire_

His training set in, fear curling through his chest before his heart iced over again. The bough he sat on was concealed well enough from the ground point, but he knew better than anyone just how acute a vampire's eyes were, especially in a night as light as this. Crouching low over it as if he was about to pounce helped; sliding back into the shadows of the leaves helped even more. The area he was in was lit well enough from above- maybe, just maybe, he would be able to ambush the intruder, and kill it before it tried to kill him.

The rustling stopped on the edge of the grove, then paced around the edge. Mika eyes followed the movement- he dared not to breathe, to move. The other vampire paused, and there came the sound of a soft snuffle and the sound of claws scraping lightly over bark, most likely from it checking the territorial marker Mika left nearby.

It was hard not to growl, to drop out of the tree and chase them away. Mika took a deep breath, long, slow, and quiet, and half-unsheathed his claws.

The footsteps came again, and this time, when they paused, they were right on the brink of the glen.

Mika spotted his opponent, a thin shadow on the edge of the moonlight, and hissed.

The vampire across from him froze and stood stock-still, a cape far too big for his lithe frame kissing the ground as he breathed. It took him an uncomfortably short time to find Mika, crouched low on a bow with murder in his eyes, and even then, when the hiss in his chest grew to a dangerous rattle, he did not look as nearly as scared of him as he should have. Curious red eyes, backlit with the glow of the moon and stars pierced their light through him; the lesser noble's scrutinizing gaze looked him over as if he were no more than a strange-looking deer.

He stood right outside of Mika's territorial boundaries. Mika swallowed down the curse rising in his throat and tilted his head up menacingly, allowing his vampire instincts to shift over his mind's omegan ones. It was difficult-no matter what he tried, he was still a fledgeling and a half-turned, the human traits that he was graced with not so easy to control- but he managed it anyways, the upwards jut of his jaw holding no trace of submission as he bared his fangs to the silvery grey moonlight.

"What brings you here, to the edge of my resting place?" His voice dripped a venom that his fangs were bare of, the bone-rattling hiss humming through his words a rumbling undercurrent in his throat. Some part of Mika's mind- something weak and undeniably human- cried out in fear, but he choked it down, knowing deep within that showing weakness at this point might mean death. "These hunting grounds are mine, and mine alone. Leave."

The vampire tilted his head curiously, his eyes fixated on Mika's, and his nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the vampire challenging him with a near-silent intake of air. Mika held his ground, not daring to move before the other vampire did, and watched with steadily-growing apprehension as the vampire paused and throatily chirred his surprise, blood-red gaze widening at what he found.

"An omega!" The breathy wonder and the wide-open gaze that accompanied his exclamation unnerved Mika. He opened his jaws wider, a threatening rumble making itself present under his warning hiss, and the noble backed up a couple steps, unblinking red eyes never leaving Mika's. "Ah, calm yourself. It's been awhile since I saw your kind among our kin. I was wondering why your eyes were such a clear, vivid human blue- that's a trick I had always been jealous of when I was newly-turned, your ability to bait your prey so easily before your heats stopped. I struggled immensely during my first hunts before I got the hang of it."

Mika closed his mouth and swallowed hard against the dry patch in his throat, wary as to what the vampire was trying to say to him. He seemed friendly enough for a noble- but if there was one thing Mika had learned in Ferid's presence, it was that friendliness, from a vampire, was often a prelude to a fight later on. "There's a reason why I want you out of my hunting territory."

"Hmm, is that it? I know your eyes revert back when you are thirsty, but you don't seem particularly parched to me." The vampire's eyes flickered over his frame, studying his posture, the cast of his skin. Mika swallowed hard and subtly rearranged his stance, trying hard to look only threatening, nothing else. "And you don't smell like you're in heat." The noble checked him over again, perhaps looking for signs of heat. Mika bared his fangs to the gums at him for that offence; all he got in reply was a sly smile. "So then, what's with the eye colour? And the sweetness of humans on your scent?" He tilted his head, smiling without teeth, though Mika didn't feel at all pacified by the lack of threat. He was starting to see where this conversation was going, and he didn't fucking like it. "Could it be that you're the famed court omega we've been looking for? The one that lord Ferid himself sent us out to look for?"

"That's none of your business," hissed Mika, sliding his sword partially out of his sheath. His suspicions were confirmed; this vampire was one of the hunt. Maybe, if he struck quickly enough, he would be able to subdue him before he became a threat to Yuu…

"Actually, that's all of my business," retorted the noble, stepping back at the sound of metal sliding over metal. The self-satisfied, harmless grin was still stuck on his face. "Lord Ferid ordered us to search for an omega vampire with bright blue eyes, who had not completely shed his humanity nor been struck with the turning fever. What he *didn't* mention was that said omega was the progeny of a progenitor, and that slaughtering us would be easy work for him." He tipped his head, birdlike, looking completely ridiculous in his too-large getup. He must have been a far lower-ranking noble then, to not have clothes fitted to him; all the comfort this brought Mika was the knowledge that he would be relatively easy to kill. "You look like you're ready to kill me now, and I don't blame you for that. Your flock must be nearby, for you to be so protective, but you don't need to worry. I'm not here to bring you back to Sanguinem- I'm here to thank you."

Mika froze, confused beyond belief. The noble saw the hesitation in his stance and smiled, posture relaxing as the threat of Mika attacking him decreased. "Yes, my lord, I'm here to thank you. The noble you killed today was my superior, and his death has brought me up in rank. Because of you, I now have command over the faction that he left abandoned."

It must have been a pretty small faction, to have a vampire as scruffy as this one in charge of it now. Mika swallowed down the smart-ass comment and narrowed his eyes, determined not to let the noble's words unbalance him. "And? You think that I care about something as meaningless as rank? I have other things to be concerned about than your well being, or what faction you have control over."

The vampire ducked his head, though he didn't seem very concerned about Mika's remark. "That may be so. But there _are_ things that I know you will care about, and one of those is your flock, and possibly freedom, yes? You're quite young to be setting out on your own now- you haven't even reached a century yet- but you have progenitor's blood in your veins, so perhaps you're a bit odd. Whatever it may be, I understand your plight, and, in return for the favor you have given me today, have decided not to hunt you tonight."

Mika glared at him, gouging the bark below him. "Just for tonight?"

The vampire noble shrugged, nonchalant. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'll certainly do it next time I see you, as I am still ranked below lord Ferid, but I have no doubt that you will be well enough traveling on your own for you to not be in danger of that happening again. In any case, after you leave this place, I would no longer be in debt to you, so we would be equal."

Mika flexed his claws, shaking the splinters from his fingers, and considered it. The knowledge that the noble was doing it so he wouldn't be in debt eased him somewhat- that was far more in line with typical vampiric behavior than helping him out of pure sympathy. "That doesn't explain why you're in my territory."

"Not _in_ your territory," the little vampire quipped, tipping his head again. He looked like a wannabe owl; it was getting rather annoying. "On the _outskirts_ , I would say. I never really passed your territorial boundaries."

 _Little shit_. If Mika were to narrow his eyes any further, they would look like they were closed. He was really starting to get sick and tired of this banter- friendly or not, unprompted or not, leaping after the wandering noble and slicing out his throat was starting to get more and more appealing. Luckily for him, his target seemed to sense his dangerous mood, and stepped back, retreating into the darkness under the canopy.

"So we are settled, then. I am no longer in your debt." The edges of his cloak swirled around his feet as he walked away, a tantalizing flurry of movement that set every vampiric instinct in Mika's body screaming to jump after it. Mika grit his teeth together and dug his claws under the bark of the tree, trying to resist; if the vampire noticed his murderous tension, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he merely fixated his gaze on Mika's tree and smiled, closed-mouthed and non aggressive. "Many thanks for your help, my lord, no matter how it came about."

Mika swallowed down his anger, dipping his head cooly. It would not do to lose his temper. Not here, not now. "You're welcome. Now get out of my territory."

The noble bowed, unperturbed. "As you wish."

He turned about with a swirl of his cloak and stalked away, going as quietly as he came. Mika waited until he couldn't hear him anymore, barely daring to breathe, and then he slipped out of his tree and followed the faint scent trail the other vampire had left until he came to the edge of the forest.

There was no sign of the other vampire- the ground was too hard-packed for his boots to leave impressions. Mika opened his mouth and tasted the air, just to be sure, but his scent continued on ahead. He hadn't tried to come back again.

Feeling both frustrated by the lack of a fight and relieved at the avoidance of conflict, Mika slunk back into the treeline. He couldn't scent any more intruders out here, and the moon was growing closer to the horizon, casting light at an angle that was sure to hit him dead-on if he lingered out of the shelter of the trees. His pale skin, hair, and uniform would not do well in hiding him tonight; though he was well aware that the reason that the uniforms were as luminescent as they were was for the fun of making hunting difficult, something many ancients craved for, he couldn't help but feel bitter about it. Older vampires had no need for stealth.

He had perhaps an hour or two before daylight. Mika cast his face up to the sky, breathing in the cool night air, and slipped back into the trees, letting the silence around him calm him.

.

.

.

By the time dawn arrived, Mika had chased two minor lords out of the forest and killed a couple of commons who cared for little else except for the warm, fresh human blood they scented when the winds shifted. The paleing purple-gold light almost came as a surprise when it filtered down through the trees, reflecting off the cold silver of his blade, blotched with blood and the ashes of fallen vampires. It came as even more of a surprise when he came into a clearing and turned toward the sky, and almost immediately got his eyes scorched by the sun peeping over the horizon.

The walk back to camp was uneventful. Vampires still took chase after daylight arose, but they were not nearly as fond of sneak attacks as they were during the night, when it was natural for them to be awake. After a long night of hunting and killing, stopping almost seemed boring- that is, until Mika shook the predator from his mind, swallowed hard against the dryness in his throat, and took a moment shivering against a tree until he was him again.

Time was running out. He could feel it, slipping further away from him with every passing second. The question was not _if_ the demise of his humanity would happen soon- but _when_.

Mika paused outside the glen where the humans camped and closed his eyes, listening to the rousing sounds of their heartbeats. Two- Shinoa and Narumi, he suspected- were already awake, the sound of their life force weaving around the camp as they gathered up their things. The rest were still asleep, but slowly rising, no doubt urged on by the two that were awake.

Mika laid a hand on his chest, feeling the sluggish, barely-there tempo of his own heart slowly pulse away. It was the slow beat of a vampire's heart, far different from that of a human's, far closer to death. Who was to say that it would even keep beating, if he were to turn fully? For he had heard the beat of the hearts of the ancient progenitors, and they had moved slowly enough to make it seem like moving through time, to them, was like wading through honey, while it rushed on by like the waters of a raging river for the rest. Who was to say that, were he to drink human blood, that he would not become one of _them_ , and watch as the lives around him passed from his in the blink of an eye?

The thought of it scared him. He took a deep, quavering breath, willing the thought away from his mind, and walked into the glen, hoping that the distraction of packing would keep him from lingering on what he was sure would soon come to pass.

.

.

.

Yuu woke up when one of Shinoa's boots slammed into his head, and immediately regretted everything.

Last night was a vivid memory, thanks to Asuramaru's forbidding dreams, warnings, and the startling lack of them after he went back to sleep. Everything had ended as soon as he had lost consciousness, protecting him from having to handle his actions- at least, until now. Now, last night was very much _not_ something he could avoid in a dreamless state, especially not that he had started recounting it almost immediately after Shinoa's boot had given him a rude awakening.

Demons above, had he _really_ thought that scentmarking and kissing Mika's hand would be anything but mortifyingly embarrassing? Had he _actually_ thought that that would be a good way to start courting him? Just fucking wake up in the middle of the night, mark him as his, give him a chaste kiss, and fall back asleep? Not to mention, Yuu didn't even know if Mika _wanted_ him to court him- for all he knew, he could have been supremely weirded out by contact. He wanted to fucking die.

Mika wasn't next to him. Yuu flipped his blanket over his head and allowed himself to stew in his own misery- at least, until Shinoa's other boot struck him in the shoulder. Then he stewed in his own misery outside of the safety of his sheets.

"Whoo look, the cherry boy is awake!" Shinoa cried as she pumped a fist in the air, clad in nothing but her bra, her skirt, and her socks. Yuu glared at her and chucked her shoes back at her, both of which she caught with an ease normally expected of a professional baseball player. "Fi-na-lly! Get your ass over here, sweetheart, we need to jumpstart a car and someone's got to be the pack mule."

Yuu glared at her, but set to work rolling up his sleeping bag, clipping Asuramaru onto his belt. "A car? Are we going somewhere?"

Shinoa beamed. Mitsuba stalked out of the woods, fully dressed and blushing up a storm, and threw a shirt over her, resolutely not looking when Shinoa winked and wiggled her ass at her. Yuu rolled his eyes at the interruption, slinging his pack over his shoulder with a grunt. "Well? Are we? I thought we were just going to hop from city to city until shit settled enough for us to save Guren." Shinoa now appeared to be attempting bellydancing, shirt still barely half-on; or maybe she was trying to enhance the size of her tits to attract a mate. Yuu really didn't get females. "Hello?"

Mitsuba smacked Shinoa's lower back with a pair of stretchy pants, purposefully avoiding her ass. Shinoa smirked at her, winked again, and finally began to button up her shirt. "There's been a change of plans, Yuu. We're still hoping to save Guren, but the local vampire problem is getting ridiculous, and we saw a bunch of JIDA trucks driving around just south of us last night. Staying out in the open like this would be suicide. Luckily, we have some alternatives available- Mika mentioned there being a long line of abandoned warehouses and shit up to the northwest, just outside of human and vampire territorial boundaries. We'll be safer if we stay there until things calmed down."

The sound of Mika's name sent a jolt of electricity down Yuu's spine. "Mika talked to you? Where is he?"

"Just inside the forest." Shinoa jerked her thumb at the line of trees, throwing on her military jacket. "Cleanin' off his sword. He ran into some intruders last night, but he didn't want to scare you when you woke up and saw him covered in blood."

"Too late for that," Yuu murmured, dropping his pack near the pile and taking off for the woods. His heart fluttered in his throat; a giddy mixture of worry, anticipation, and nervous embarrassment that left him feeling lightheaded.

Mika was right where Shinoa said he was, sitting on a log just within the boundaries of the forest. His back was to the camp, a thin line of blood splattered over his left shoulder, already congealed into the fabric of his uniform. His bloody blade was dull silver, crusted with dried gore and vampire ash, which he was scrubbing at with a ragged cloth, growling quietly to himself as he worked.

Yuu wrapped his arms around his shoulders and buried his face in his hair, breathing in his scent. Mika flinched, a little startled, and paused his cleaning. There was no doubt he'd heard Yuu approach, but perhaps he hadn't tried to scent him, or was too engrossed in his work to notice. Either way, it was cute, and Yuu had to keep his breathing slowed and his face tucked away in Mika's curls to prevent the vampire from seeing how flustered he was.

 _God, the things you do to me, Mika...it's amazing how I didn't notice how dearly you held my heart in your hands until now._

He wanted to say it. He wanted Mika to know how much he cared for him, how he would give up the whole world just for him. But he remembered his reservations from waking up, his worry that Mika would feel uncomfortable with his advances, and didn't.

 _Slowly, slowly. Gotta take it slowly. Fake obliviousness and slowly start giving out more and more hints, don't want to scare him away now._

"You're covered in blood," Yuu murmured, voice muffled in Mika's hair. Even so, he knew he could hear it- he could feel it in the way Mika sighed underneath him, even before he reached up to rest a hand lightly on Yuu's forearm. He still smelled sweet, perfect, even under the scent of rot; his voice, when he spoke, was quiet and husky from a night of near-silence, and sent sparks down Yuu's spine.

"None of this belongs to me," Mika murmured, answering Yuu's unasked question. His thumb swiped idly back and forth over Yuu's arm. "Don't worry about me. The only thing wounded is the impeccability of my uniform, and that's remedied easily enough with cold water and some bleach. I didn't get hurt."

"That's good," Yuu muttered, untucking his face so he could give Mika a stern glare. "Because I would have beat your ass if you got injured."

Mika laughed. Yuu blinked, realized the double meaning behind his words a second too late, and flushed.

"Is that so." Mika tipped his head up, smiling at him. Yuu tried to school his face into something a little more sternly frustrated than flustered, but it didn't seem to work- all it earned him was another slight smile, another chuckle tinged with affectionate melancholy, as so many of Yuu's interactions with Mika were. "You would beat me up to try to prompt me to keep myself safe? Well, I think it's safe to say that you haven't changed much since we were kids, Yuu- you've just become more honest. With some things, anyways."

"We've both become more honest," Yuu said softly, leaning in closer. Mika's breath hitched; Yuu caught his eyes, feeling his heart thunder wildly in his chest, and gently leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against Mika's forehead- the barest of kisses, the most chaste of kisses. It was so little, and yet so much, and when Yuu leaned back and took a deep breath to still himself, he could feel the rush of it through his veins, a heady, dizzying thrill that felt not unlike standing on the edge of a precipice, waiting for him to fall.

Giving Mika a carefree smile after that was as easy as ever, if not moreso. He clapped a hand on Mika's shoulder, as companionable as can be, and took a couple steps back, not wanting to crowd him. He wasn't the most socially astute of the group- he had no idea how to go about hinting his feelings instead of showing them outright- but maybe, just maybe, if he went slow, Mika might pick up on it. He had spent so long begging for the smallest scrap of Yuu's attention before they separated- maybe, just maybe, he would be able to pick up on the cues.

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be helping everyone pack up." That had been smooth enough, right? Right? Mika was looking at him in a way that was thoughtful, but not uncomfortable, and his scent was calm, so he guessed he didn't fuck anything up. "Hurry up and finish with your sword, we wanna get moving soon. Kimizuki's going to try to hijack a car!"

"Is that so?" Mika murmured, turning back to his work. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips- Yuu caught himself wondering what it would feel like to kiss it, and flushed. "In that case, perhaps I should hurry up. They might need my help."

"That would be good," Yuu squeaked, voice catching on his own embarrassment- but Mika was only half-listening, too busy scrubbing the blood out of the ornate guard to do anything more than hum. Yuu watched him for a couple seconds, waiting for a reaction, an awkward pause- but there were none.

Well, that was a relief. With one last glance at Mika (god, /how/ had he not noticed how attractive he was until now), he turned on his heel, and left for the clearing.

They had work to do.

.

.

.

As it turned out, finding a useable car wasn't all that difficult; there was a bank on the other side of the forest, and the parking lot attached to it was full of cars that were at least somewhat viable for travel, if a bit rusty and/or in dubiously functional states of disrepair. And as it turned out, starting the car was _more than_ easy, considering the fact that Kimizuki was not the only one who knew how to jumpstart a car. Or drive, for that manner.

"When did you learn how to drive?!" Yuu squacked, watching in disbelief as Mika reemerged from his spot near the pedals, a tangle of wires clamped delicately between his long white teeth. "More importantly, where did you learn to _hijack_ a _car?!"_

 _-_ Mika gave him an amused glance and took the wires out of his mouth, setting to work on knotting them together. "Special training for any vampires on patrol means you need to know how to start and run any vehicle, no matter what the condition. Technically, I can jumpstart and fly a helicopter, too, though I've never applied my learning to real life due to the rarity of airplanes."

"What the fuck," Yuu murmured, earning a small half-smile from Mika. He knew that Mika was able to learn almost anything instantaneously- it had been one of the many qualities he'd had that he had been jealous of, back when they were kids- but the ability to jumpstart a _helicopter_? And _fly_ it? That was something else.

"I've never seen anyone hotwire a car that way," Kimisuki commented from the other window, leaning in to get a closer look. "It's much different from anything I've ever done."

"If you've learned it by yourself, as I am sure you did, then it would be far different from anything I've been taught," Mika said dismissively, not looking up from the wires. Yuu felt a spark of smug pride that he had commanded his attention so completely, even though he knew that neither Kimizuki nor Mika were interested enough in each other for there to be a competition. "I was taught by mechanics that still remembered some of their craft before being turned. You learned through trial-and-error. There is no comparison."

Kimizuki scowled, scent souring, though he said nothing. If Mika noticed, he didn't give any indication- though Yuu thought he saw him shift slightly to the left, closer to the alpha he was more comfortable with.

He gave the wires a sharp yank, pressing two together, and the abandoned van rumbled to life, coughing out a puff of exhaust as it started for the first time in eight years. Mika cocked his head, listening to the engine, then nodded to himself and slipped himself into the driver's seat, buckling himself in.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Narumi leaned in over Yuu's shoulder, frowning dangerously. Yuu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, tempted to snarl at him to back off, but Narumi, perhaps sensing the hidden threat in the alpha before him, didn't give him the chance. "I thought you were taking the night shift for driving."

Yuu breathed out a sigh of relief, silently glad he didn't have to resolve any conflict. Mika, however, did not seem to share his enthusiasm, his brows knitting as he shot Narumi a cool, confused stare.

"There's no need to take shifts. I am fully capable of driving without rest." He shifted, his once-again gloved hands tightening on the steering wheel. "Vampires do not require sleep like humans do."

"Yeah, and my late uncle's wife was a shark." Narumi slipped past Yuu and shoved him aside so he could open the door, ignoring the alpha's indignant squawk. "Don't bullshit me, vampire, your mind tires just like the rest of us. Not to mention, if I have to spend time squashed between squabbling teenagers-" he shot Yuu a look "-I might as well just kill myself."

Yuu flushed indignantly. "Hey! You're not that much older than we are, jackass!"

Kimizuki sighed, and rounded the corner to give Yuu a semi-friendly smack on the shoulder. "He's right though, Yuu, Mika. If I have to sit in a car the whole day without doing anything, it would drive me insane."

Mika frowned, looking Kimizuku up and down as if squaring him up for a fight. "Fine. But I'll sit next to Yuu only."

"Never expected anything less, princess!" Shinoa trotted out of the woods, packs that weighed probably more than half her size strapped to her back. Mitsuba followed, carrying more effortlessly, leaves tangled in her hair and a flush on her face. "Really, I think everyone here would be worried if you didn't want to sit with him. We'd have to check to make sure our Mika was really our Mika, and well, searching for demons and doppelgangers is no fun. Plus, you'll keep him quiet on the journey, that's an added benefit all of us will enjoy."

Mika flushed and glanced down, scent sweetening. Yuu looked at his flush, took note of how cute he was when he was flustered, and looked away, his ears burning.

"What the fuck happened to you?" growled Kimizuki, flicking his hand at Mitsuba. Yoichi popped up behind him and pressed himself against him, quietly urging him to soften his words, but all it managed to do was turn Kimizuki's face as bright pink as his hair. Yuu silently cheered himself for not being the only flustered alpha in the group. "You look like you fought a tree and lost."

"Shinoa pushed me down the slope," Mitsuba grumbled, slinging her bags into the trunk with a mighty whump. "She threw a fit over me trying to lighten up her load, said she couldn't handle a woman who could lift more than her or some shit."

"You can barely blame me, Mitsu dear, everytime you show off your strength I swear angels sing." Shinoa unbuckled her bags from her back and dropped them lightly down next to Mitsuba's, stretching her back with a satisfied groan. "You could break me in half with those arms and I swear I would thank you, how do you expect me to recover from you so courteously offering to take my bags for me? My poor soul wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Shut your mouth, Shinoa, we have more to focus on than your gross-ass kinks." Yuu growled, opening the door to the secondary set of seats in the van. Mika unbuckled himself and slipped silently out of the front seat to stand beside him, pressing his hip to his. The sweet, familiar lemony wash of his scent did wonders to calm Yuu's irritation. "Like where we're going, for example. We have no fucking clue what we're going to do other than make it out to some safehouse or whatever that allegedly will keep us hidden from the army."

Shinoa shot him an amused look. "You wouldn't care so much if you weren't such a goddamned virgin, cherry boy." She tapped her chin thoughtfully and looked to the sky, leaning her weight on Mitsuba, paying no mind when the beta swatted at her. "First off though, I think we should make a supply run. There's a city a few miles ahead of us that we can stop at and plunder until we've cleaned it of food. It's known for its higher horseman population, so there's likely to be less exiled humans there that we need to worry about."

"And how do you know this?" Mika cut in, frowning thunderously. Yuu felt a tinge of worry spike through him, an anxiety only magnified when he caught the fear in his omega's scent, and gently rubbed him between his shoulder blades, hoping to calm him down. He still didn't know quite why Mika was so afraid of the army or their control over several areas of Japan, but he was determined to knock the fear out of him, one way or the other.

Shinoa was unfazed, though her eyes darkened at Mika's question, the red flecks within them taking on a dangerous glow. "Secrets. Secrets compiled by spies suspiciously lost over the years, secrets made to make mobilization of an army easy. Every Hiiragi knows them, no matter how worthless they may be."

Her trademark smile, when it came again, was bitter. This time, it was Mitsuba who leaned back on her and cast her a concerned glance; Mika held her gaze for the span of three uneasy heartbeats, then blinked and looked away, the tension in his posture relaxing.

"I see," he murmured, though he sounded just as suspicious as before. Yuu touched the inside of his wrist, pressing lightly at the scent gland there, and Mika flicked him a glance before reaching down and tangling his fingers in his, apparently oblivious to the way it made Yuu's scent swell with longing. "I should have known that you would have access to information like that. Forgive me for any injustices I may have caused."

"No worries," Shinoa said lightly, waving off the matter with a flick of her hand. "I was prepared for you to be suspicious. It's not a road trip until Mikaela Hyakuya is prickly about something."

Mika bristled. Yuu growled a curse under his breath and swipe his thumb across the back of their entangled hands, trying vainly to rack his brains for a solution that would not end in an all-out brawl; but then Yoichi stepped in, standing right within the nexus of the group, and spiked his scent until all that could be smelled was the calming _everything-is-okay_ rush of omega pheromones.

"No fighting, now, we haven't even started our journey." He gave everyone an imploring look, holding their gaze until they nodded- all except for Mika, who had stepped closer to Yuu upon smelling Yoichi's scent and was now glowering silently at the ground. Yoichi cast Yuu a significant glance (one that washed over his head completely), and cleared his throat."We have a long drive ahead of us, and we're still under the danger of being attacked by a squad of vampires. Keep a lookout, now; our enemies are not ourselves."

Many murmured in agreement. Yoichi nodded, satisfied, and turned to give Kimizuki a sweet smile. "Now, Shiho, how about you drive first? I'll sit in the passenger seat to keep you company."

"I thought I told you not to call me by my first name in front of the others," Kimizuki grumbled, but he got into the car nonetheless. Shinoa smirked, wiggling her eyebrows, and Yoichi gave her a sweet smile, one that was at once adorable and oddly intimidating. "Shinoa, you can sit in the middle with Mitsuba and Narumi. Make sure to give Narumi the window seat. That way, Yuu and Mika can have the back, and he won't have to deal with the irritation of either Yuu being an asshole or Mika growling at him."

"Hey!" said Yuu indignantly, stepping forward to shake his free fist at Yoichi, right at the same time Narumi muttered a quiet ' _thank god'_. Mika rolled his eyes and tugged him back towards his side. "I'm not that much of a dick!"

"You're a piece of cock, Yuu," Shinoa said, sliding past him into the car with a wink. "A real dick. A _high-quality_ piece of dick. Mika, take notes, you're gonna need to remember that when your next heat comes."

Mika let go of Yuu's hand so he could bury his face in his hands, whatever skin he left exposed turning red. His scent turned sweeter, full of embarrassment and just the slightest hint of something else- and Yuu swallowed hard and turned away and tried not to show how much that particular hint affected him, tried to keep the affectionate, rumbling croon in his chest to quiet for Mika to hear.

Was...was that arousal in his scent? Was that longing? Or was it confusion, and he was just being a horny, pining ass? Either way, it was affecting, horribly so, and Yuu had to take deep breaths in through the mouth and focus on collapsing one of the seats beside Shinoa to allow them to get in the car before everyone scented the hope and the mating longing tingling through his pheromones.

Shinoa shrieked as the seat crashed down, the outdated levers screaming with disuse, but he couldn't care less. Climbing into the back was a feat he was uncomfortably aware presented Mika with a quality view of his ass, and it was a skill in of itself to try to keep the nervous flutters in his stomach from showing in his scent.

The old seats had a spring pushing up under the cover. Yuu made a face and shifted, focusing on the uncomfortable press of the wire against his leg as Mika climbed up into the van and settled beside him, shooting him a concerned glance as Yuu wriggled in his seat, trying to get away from the spring.

Mitsuba put the seat back with another resounding crash and flipped it up, shoving a cackling Shinoa over as she vied for a seat. Narumi stepped up after her, face glum with resignation, and closed the door, cuing Kimizuki to roar the engine to life once more.

"Everyone in?" he shouted, turning around to check to make sure that everyone was securely in their seats. "Everything is accounted for? Shinoa, I have no idea where the fuck I'm going, help me by giving me directions as I drive."

"All systems go, captain!" Shinoa laughed, bracing herself on the driver and passenger seat as she leaned forward. Narumi pressed himself further into the window and looked out at the verdant forest with the look of a man who craved death. "We're good to leave. Hit the gas and take a left, we're blowing this popsicle stand."

Kimizuki did as she said, growling with concentration as the car clumsily climbed over the rubble surrounding it. Shinoa whooped with glee, Mitsuba shouted something angry about daredevils and four-wheeling it and grabbed the handholds above the door, and Yuu groaned and dropped his head on Mika's shoulder, ignoring the bumps in the road and the sharp cut of the vampire's collarbone in favor of listening to the way his breath caught in his chest.

It was going to be a long ride.

.

.

.

It was, as Yuu expected, a long and semi-eventful drive. The only times the monotony of travel was broken was when Kimizuki accidentally drove into one of the severe potholes mangling the broken, lonely road, or when a Horseman tried its damnedest to chase them down and tear open the car to eat them all whole. But even then, Yuu was forbidden to leap out and chase it down, and so he counted the hair-raising monster encounters as just another uneventful happenstance in the time before they fled the forest and finally managed to park at their destination- an abandoned grocery store thats lights still flickered with whatever feeble pulses of electricity ran through its lines.

"That," Yuu said, yawning as he stretched and cracked his back. "Would have been so much better if we had decided to take a sports car instead of a van. Would have been much more fun and less tedious if we had just gone full-speed until we either came to the city or ran out of gas."

"That," Kimkzuki said, stretching his fingers, "is just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What would happen if we had run out of gas, Yuu? What then? Not to mention that a car like that couldn't hold more than four people if we're lucky, and finding two of the same speed would have been like finding two needles in a haystack the size of Nagoya."

"I was just saying," Yuu grumbled, stretching his legs with a wince. "That it would have been better and more fun. Don't get your panties in a twist, dumbass, I wasn't being fucking serious."

Kimizuki whirled on him, eyes narrowing, and promptly staggered backwards as Mitsuba thwapped a recycled-plastic shopping bag and an old backpack into his hands and face. Yuu got the same treatment from Narumi, who seemed to take great joy in shoving the bags into his chest until Yuu spluttered with indignation. "Shut your mouths, you two. We have to pick this store clean before that horseman catches up to us, and if either one of you are the reasons why it pins us then I swear to god that you're going to be the ones I throw out as bait."

"Yes, Mitsuba," they muttered sulkily, slinging their packs over their shoulders. Mika gave him an amused glance from his place beside him, but the grim look of worry on his face took much of the mockery out of it. He was staring at the grocery store as if it held the ghosts of their dead family within, mouth opening periodically to taste the air, an omen that Yuu did not take as a particularly positive one.

"What is it?" he whispered, in a tone he was sure that only the vampire would be able to hear. "Is there anyone in there? Can you scent them? Can you hear them?"

"I don't know, Mika whispered back, tilting his head to and fro as he tried to locate something only he could sense within. "I hear movement, sure. But I cannot tell if they are indicators of life or merely cans rolling across the floor, and I can't scent anything besides the stench of long-rotted food."

Yuu nodded grimly, his grip on Asuramaru tightening. The demon-cursed blade thrummed slightly under his palms, acknowledging his wariness and readiness to fight. "So there may be people in there."

"Maybe," Mika agreed, not looking away from the store. "Maybe not. I advise to step cautiously, and to perhaps keep the car on, just in case we need to make a break for it."

"Acknowledged," Shinoa said from right behind them, and the both of them jumped. She shot them a pleased look, emboldened by the scent of their fear. "Though I doubt we can leave the car on for long, even in stall. That burns gas, you know, which burns time, and time is money when fleeing two organizations that both want you either captured or dead."

She stepped back and looked around, clearing her voice and spiking her scent to get everyone's attention. "Alright. Sir Mika over here-" Mika tensed at the sudden attention the pack gave him, scowling at the nickname "-says he thinks he heard something in that there grocery store. So what we're gonna do, until we check to make sure everything is alright and no starving vampires or humans are going to jump out at us, is to go in as a group and wait to make sure the coast is clear before separating. Capisce?" She looked around, but no one came forward with a complaint. "Alright. On the count of three, then, we'll start. Kimizuki, kill the engine." Kimizuki did so. "Good. Keep that gas in check, we can't afford to lose our ride now. Mika, stay near the head of the group so you can keep an eye, an ear, and a nose out for anything that might want a taste of our blood." Mika nodded, eyes serious, and unsheathed his blade, stalking closer to the store with Yuu hot on his heels. Shinoa shot him an amused glance at that, but didn't comment on his insistence to be near to Mika. There was no need for it, anyways. "Right. Now remember all, try to gather supplies that will last us years if they have to, and if you think there's something you need out of reach go find Mika to help him to get it down. He'll be anywhere Yuu is, as we all well know."

Mika gave Shinoa a flat look. Shinoa grinned back and slipped her key into her hand, holding it ready for summoning. "Okay, everyone, weapons out, bags ready- we want to get this over with as fast and cleanly as possible."

The squad murmured their assent and quietly got into position, those with smaller weapons manifesting them right away, those with larger ones poised and ready. Yuu glanced around, feeling the familiar thrill of the hunt hum through his veins, and slid closer to Mika, taking comfort at the press of his shoulders to his.

Together they approached the store and slipped through the ruined doorway, footsteps light, weapons held at ready, their heads flicking back and forth as they scanned the shadowed aisles for enemies. Mika tipped his head up, frowning, and then crept forward to take the lead, no doubt thinking that his superior senses would come in handy for sniffing out food, bodies, monsters, or both.

Yuu caught his gaze starting to slip downwards, settling just over the top of his thigh-highs, and gave himself a vicious pinch, face burning.

And then Mika paused, nose wrinkling, mouth half-opening, and sneezed.

For most of the squad (who didn't know that vampires could sneeze), this was quite startling. For Yuu, who was currently too busy drowning in the revelation that he was maybe-probably-hopelessly-in-love with said vampire, this was a relief.

"Sorry," Mika whispered, scrunching his face as if he was in pain. "There's a lot of dust in he- achoo!"

He shook his head with a wince, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth. He sneezed again, and this time he caught it, muffling it in the crook of his elbow before it could draw any more attention to their surroundings.

"Well, that's a surprise," Narumi said dryly, stepping forward and drawing a white square of cloth from his pocket. "Here, vampire. Take this. It's a mask originally made to prevent scenting an omega in heat, but since both the omegas on our team are currently medicated and I have no interest in mating anyways, I figured you could manage to make use of it more than me."

Mika frowned suspiciously, but took it anyways, eyes watering too much to resist- and that was yet another surprise to the squad, whose many classes on vampires had taught them that their enemies had no ability to cry. "Thank...you? I will have no need for it as we travel further back into the store, though. Most of the dust and mold is concentrated in front, because...because..."

His voice faltered, and he kicked at the floor in front of him to prove his point, strapping the breathing mask over his face as he did so. Beneath the cloud of dust that rose under his boot, the gleam of bones could be seen, their owner lying sprawled in the remains of their body with their cheek still pressed to the long-dry bloodstains on the floor.

It was clear from the way they lay twisted that they had been running away when the virus had hit, only for them to be struck down before they could escape. Yuu swallowed down the nausea rising in his throat and looked away, steeling his mind. This was normal. This was a kinder death than the fate of those left to the vampires and the Horseman. This was something long past, something not concerning him. This was something he could not help, and this was the age-old mantra that he chanted to settle his nerves, just as he did back in the underground ghettos, when the streets were alive with starving children warring for scraps of rotting food and vampires had stalked silently through the halls to pick off the weak when no one was looking.

Mika was looking at the body blankly, no emotion present on his face as he studied it. It was a stark contrast from the sick distaste that marred his face when he had seen things he considered horrifying, back when he was human, but even so, Yuu couldn't muster up enough surprise to be shocked. There had alway been something blank and distant in Mika's eyes when he was facing something that hurt him. Now, at least, he wasn't trying to hide it.

But Yuu was tired of hiding things too, and his affection for Mika was one of them. No longer would he worry from the sidelines, hiding his protectiveness behind fierce words; he had grown, and he had lost, and he refused to lose again. If Mika was to face something he hated, then Yuu would stand with him, steadfast until the very end.

So when he stepped over the bones and cupped his cheek in one hand, it was as intimate as he meant it to be. And Mika looked at him, and his scent sweetened, softened, and he pushed his cheek back against Yuu's palm with a soft exhale that made Yuu's heart flutter in his chest and his cheeks burn with heat.

"It's okay," he murmured, loud enough so that the rest could hear- Mika was not the only one whose scent had soured with uneasiness and grief. "Keep it on. We'll keep an eye out for bodies, but there's still dust and mold scattered all through the store where there aren't any, and we don't want you to deal with an itchy nose."

Yoichi laughed. Mika scrunched up said nose, glowering at him, but Yuu knew him well enough to know that under the mask, he was smiling.

"Can you hear anything else, or smell anything else, now that we're in here?" Yuu continued, wanting to be out of the creepy grocery store. "Surely the proximity must help."

Mika narrowed his eyes and cocked his head out of Yuu's hand, listening hard. Yuu shifted, angling himself so that the squad couldn't see, and then slid his hand down to cup his jaw and cradle the curve of his neck, pressing his palm gently against the scent gland there.

It was an openly flirtatious move, and Mika must have known it, for the wide-eyed look he shot him was undeniably flustered. But he couldn't comment on it, couldn't tease back without the squad knowing, and so he was limited to closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, steadying his composure.

Yuu grinned at him as soon as he opened them again, resting his hand platonically on his shoulder. His heart was thundering in his chest- but despite his worries of getting pushed away, teasing Mika had been fun. No wonder Mika had enjoyed it so much when they were younger. "Well? Any luck?"

Mika gave him a narrow-eyed look- a warning glance- and shook his head. "No. There's water dripping from broken pipes in the back, and empty cans rattling in the wind, and my nose is clogged with the scent of dust and decay. I can still smell and hear better than an average human, but the persistence of the sensory input makes focusing your attentions way harder. I'm walking in blind."

Well, that was depressing. Yuu shoved down the forbidding chill racing down his spine in favor of shrugging nonchalantly. "Eh, we'll be fine. We've got a shitton of weapons, and a vampire on our side. What can go wrong?"

Mitsuba and Kimizuki groaned. Yuu flipped them the bird.

"You speak like an idiot, Yuu," sighed Mika, rolling his eyes. "You should never presume things will work out before you start something, especially if there's danger involved."

"And what, should I presume that everything that could possibly go wrong will?" Yuu grinned, pleaser by the banter. In Mika's words, he saw a challenge, and he was not the kind of alpha who would ever back down from a challenge-especially not, whispered the instinctual part of his mind, if it impressed Mika. "That's bullshit. We're in a grocery store! The most dangerous thing that could happen is a can of expired food exploding on us."

Mika shook his head in resignation. His exasperation was adorable. "This is why I must watch you. You're a danger to even yourself."

"Hey, I never said I minded you being beside me," Yuu replied. "That's exactly where you should be. And remember, Mika- you protecting me isn't the only reason why you should stay close to me. If you're too far away, I can't protect you either."

Mika flushed, and his scent grew sweeter, richer. Yuu felt a spark of heat flare through his belly- he wanted that scent all over his neck, all over his shoulders, mingled with his until everyone knew that he belonged to Mika and that Mika belonged to him. He wanted to wear it like a beacon, like a collar around his throat that screamed who owned his heart to the world.

He itched to pull Mika close, to nuzzle into his neck and rub his scent against his. Instead, he turned and leapt up onto a rusting metal shelf, clambering his way to the top, where rows of dusty cans still stood.

" _Yuu!"_ shouted Mitsuba, at once alarmed and irritated- but all Yuu did in reply was to snatch up a can of what- green beans?- and wave it at her with a grin. The surge of energy that had drove him literally up the wall was still tingling through his veins, trying to compel him to return to his omega, to mark him as his- but he'd worn off the majority of it, which was a relief. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he'd decided to stay by Mika's side.

Speaking of which- his omega was below him, clutching the rusting shelf enough for the metal to bend beneath his hands, eyes wild with fear and worry. He'd tugged his mask down to his neck, most likely to scent out what he could, but Yuu being reckless had stopped him. It was clear that he'd thought that the shelf would collapse under Yuu's weight- he was braced in a way that would catch it, were it to fall.

Yuu rocked back on his heels. The metal groaned underneath him, a deep, rumbling complaint that promised breakage, if he wasn't too careful. Mika had been correct about his assumptions, as usual. Yuu felt a spark of pride for him- he was sure that few others could match Mika's sharp wit. "Yuu! Get down from there. You could hurt yourself."

Yuu shook his can of green beans again in reply. "Look Mika- food! And it's still good, too- see how the top isn't bulging? We could still eat this."

"I know how to scavenge for food, Yuu, I'm not an idiot," Mika growled. The sharp scent of his fear pheromones drifted up, compelling Yuu to leap down, to fight away anything that threatened him. He shivered, shoving the can and everything else that didn't seem rotten in his bag so he could descend. "But there are other ways you can collect things on high shelves. That's why I came along, after all."

Yuu snorted and slipped down, catching his fall on a shelf underneath him to break his fall. Mika reached out and snagged him with one expert hand, his arm encircling his rib cage as he leapt away from the teetering shelf. Yuu braced himself on Mika's armed and wiggled upwards so he could speak easier, pleased by the contact. "You aren't much lighter than I am, Mika, and I'm certain I'm just as agile as you are."

"Perhaps," Mika shot back, setting him down. Yuu silently mourned the loss of his arm around him, then decided to fix that by taking Mika's hand in his own. "But vampires are made for climbing and perching on things, and we react faster and jump farther than you do. I can leap onto a shelf, feel it start to break under me, and leap away before I get hurt. You can't."

"No, but that's what you're for." Yuu bumped his shoulder with Mika's, feeling something light dance in his chest when Mika bumped back. "You'll catch me! I'm sure of it. You'd never let any harm come to me."

Mika blushed again- and how had Yuu not noticed how much he did that around him? It seemed impossible he would have been oblivious to such a lovely sight- and looked down, to where their fingers were tangled together. Yuu swiped his thumb over the back of his palm, feeling the cool silk of the gloves against the pad of his finger. There was something fragile in that moment, something warm and tentative and hopeful that he dared not to break.

And then Mika exhaled, long and slow, and gave him a sly grin. Yuu felt his heart flutter in his chest, hope beating its wings against his ribcage. "You'd trust me with your life like that? Even though I'm one of the monsters you swore to hate?" He tilted his head, blue eyes glimmering, the smile on his face twisting to show his fangs- mocking himself, twisting Yuu's word against himself. "Perhaps you should be more careful."

There was cruelness in his voice, but Yuu never felt the bite, for he knew it was cruelty aimed away from him, Mika's insecurity manifesting in a jibe against himself. And he felt a protective rage kindle in his heart, fierce, burning love overcoming the fragility of his hope, and he dropped his bag of cans to the floor and detached his hand from Mika's and cradled his face in his palms, bringing his forehead to his so he may stare into his eyes unobstructed.

Mika took a sharp breath, his eyes widening, and his hands came to rest on Yuu's wrists, sliding against his skin as if he was unsure of whether to pull him closer or to push him away. His pupils dilated, rounding out with his emotions until it looked like he was human again, until Yuu could see the traces of the scared, lonely child he once was still lingering within him.

"You're no monster," he growled. Mika's mouth parted, the silvery gleam of his fangs slipping over his pale pink lips, and Yuu flickered his eyes down to him, feeling enticed when he knew he should have been repulsed. It was a vampire's fangs that pierced Mika's neck, that left him pale and shaking and fearful- but Mika was not that vampire, and the fangs in his mouth only highlighted his ethereal, unearthly beauty, rather than tarnishing it. Yuu wondered what it would be like to be bit by him- to feel the press of his weight against him as he pushed him down, the sting of pain as his fangs closed down, to hear the soft suckling noises he made as he took part of Yuu's life to sustain his own. "You're my _family_. You're my _pack._ You will _never_ be a monster, not in my eyes, even if you were to slaughter people like their lives were worth nothing and tore their throats out with their teeth like a rabid dog. I don't care if you're a vampire, Mika- I never have. All I care about is that you're alive, and you're safe, and you're beside me. Nothing else matters."

Mika's breath hitched. His eyes widened. Yuu swallowed against the lump in his throat, blinked away tears he didn't realize he was close to shedding, and stroked his fingers gently along his jaw, shivering as his nose brushed Mika's. He was so close to kissing him, so tantalizingly close- all it would take would be to lean in, to tilt his head, just two simple movements…

A clatter from the back of the store jerked him away, his heart hammering in his chest. Mika had already moved, had already unsheathed his sword and pushed Yuu behind him before he had chance to blink.

The moment had passed. Yuu blinked away his daze, slid Asuramaru out of his sheath, and took a stance behind Mika, angling himself so he could fight without hurting him. The sound had come from the back of the store, the darkest part of the building, emanating from the area that Mika had complained about being able to hear from, and Yuu looked around quickly, trying to locate the rest of his squad while Mika scanned the shadows for threats.

"What the fuck was that?" Shinoa called, peering out from a nearby aisle to the left of them. Mitsuba emerged by her side, bag and backpack filled to the brim with surprise, sharp, feral wariness on her face. "Yuu, Mika, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Yuu called back, sword hand twitching as he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye- but it was just Narumi and Kimizuki, silently stalking to the center of the store with their weapons out. He could hear the soft, barely-there sounds of Mika's boots against the "Where's Yoichi?"

"Here," the omega called, stepping out from the ruins of the produce section, an arrow notched to his bow. It glowed a fiery, poisonous green in the gloom of the store. "What happened? Where's Mika?"

Yuu breathed a sigh of relief. His pack was all accounted for- well, except for one of them, but he knew that Mika was the best-suited to scout out the noise first. Vampires were made for stalking soundlessly through the dark- he wasn't. "Gone to check out what happened. I'm going with him."

His friends nodded. Mitsuba spoke up from her spot by Shinoa's side, looking strangely vulnerable as she clutched the straps of her backpack in lieu of her scythe. "Be careful."

"I will." Yuu clutched Asuramaru tighter, brushing a tendril of his consciousness against the demon's, and set off, following Mika's footprints through the dust. It was hard going- Mika was a light walker, and the store was dark- but Asuramaru's vague instinctual memories of his days hunting helped to guide his steps, and Mika had left scent markers against some of the shelves from where he'd brushed against them, no doubt to help guide his way.

The gloom was thick this far back, the dark barely pierced by the light of his blade, the scent of it pungent with mold from where some still-leaking pipes had dripped on corpses and rotten food. Yuu squinted against the velveteen darkness, cursing softly as his eyes and nose itched from the debris, and began to shuffle instead of stalk, sliding his feet against the floor, silently willing Asuramaru to heighten his eyesight to that of a demon's.

His request worked. His eyesight cleared, the vague lumps on the floor resolving into concrete objects- right as the air was split by a shrill, childish scream.

Yuu's stomach dropped. He took off, heart pounding in his throat, a battle roar forming in his throat as he shouldered aside the heavy door blocking his way- and stopped dead, frozen by the sight before him.

He'd reached the storeroom. Frightened children huddled under and among the rotting boxes and rusting shelves, their wide, frightened eyes reflecting back the light of Asuramaru's sword. Some of them were whimpering softly, others were frozen into place, their glassy eyes fixated on the center of the room. Few looked at him, and the few who did only seemed more terrified, no doubt fearing the sickly green light illuminating him and the demon marks he felt burning against his skin.

Only one was out of his hiding place, and Yuu could tell by the high, terrified whines escaping his throat that he was the one who had screamed. He darted back and forth, searching for a safe place with tear-filled eyes, the his neutral, unmarked pup-scent sour with his fear. Within his mind, Asuramaru growled, perversely satisfied by the child's fear, but Yuu shoved him away, beating him back to the corner of his mind that the demon had claimed as his, and scanned the room for whatever had scared the boy.

It took him a second to register the danger- and when he did, he stood frozen, unbelieving of the sight that lay before him. For Mika was there, too, the patches of white on his uniform glowing like a ghost in Asuramaru's light. But Mika wasn't acting like Mika- there was no softness in his posture, none of the resigned tension Yuu was used to seeing in the set of his shoulders. He was tense for a different reason, tense like a snake about to strike, like a cat about to pounce- for he was, he _was_ a predator about to pounce, Yuu realized with a sickening lurch, he was on the hunt, he was stalking that little boy with the quiet deadliness of a wildcat, his focus locked only on the child, his hands tensing and untensing before him as he sidled closer.

The kid screamed again and darted to the side, and Mika darted with him, a quick, unnatural, snakelike movement that hurt Yuu's eyes to watch it. The pup sobbed, stumbling as he ran left again, and Mika's head snapped around with the movement, revealing fangs glistening with venom and pupils thinned to slits- the eyes of a true hunter, the eyes of a vampire on the kill.

The kid stumbled again and fell, and then Mika was on him, faster than the eye could track, the hand he closed around his throat choking off the fearful scream the child made as he was pinned. His other hand rose, shaking, almost as if he was going to claw his prey- and then Yuu snapped out of his shock and rushed forward with a yell, swinging his sword in an arc before sheathing it.

Mika jerked around at the noise, fixing Yuu with those hungry, hungry eyes, but he had no chance to hiss, no chance to react as Yuu tackled him to the floor, knocking him off the kid. They rolled, Yuu trying vainly to pin him, Mika a wiry, writhing, snapping mess in his arms- and then Mika's back hit stone and Yuu grabbed his hands and pinned them under his knees and forced his snapping jaw away from his throat, holding his neck just like Mika did to the kid.

And it would have been easy, so, so easy for Mika to buck his hips and throw him off- but he didn't. Instead, he sat there, gasping weakly, spasming in a way that made Yuu's heart go cold with fear, and then his pupils dilated again and he stopped twitching and he looked up at Yuu with so much fear and pain in his eyes that Yuu felt like crying.

"Yuu?" he gasped, voice breaking- and Yuu realized that he had been chanting ' _come back to me'_ under his breath, over and over again, that he had been stroking his hand up and down Mika's throat as if trying to coax him to breathe, like he had been dying, like he thought he was losing him again. "Yuu, no, get out of here, I'm dangerous right now, get _away_ from me, _get away-"_

His voice died in his throat. Yuu had leaned down and hugged him tightly against his chest, cradling him in his arms like he was something breaking. Mika's hands came up to rest on his arms, shaking- and then he shoved him away and staggered to his feet, gasping, curling one hand against his chest, right over where he had been stabbed.

"Yuu, no, I _told_ you, I'm dangerous, _stop-"_

"And I told you," Yuu intervened, stepping forward so he may take his hands in his. Mika was cold, unbearably so, and trembling, but Yuu couldn't muster any fear for himself. The image of Mika's cold snarl was harshly juxtaposed against the fear and revulsion on his face now, and the memory of how he had spasmed still terrified him. "That you would never be able to hurt me. And that you would never be a monster to me, no matter what you do."

Mika bowed his head, swallowed painfully, mouth working like he was trying to protest but was shooting down his ideas before he could voice them. He still reeked of fear, of pain and hunger and sickness- things that made Yuu's stomach churn with fear. From somewhere to the side, blinding light streamed into the storeroom- the children must have shoved a box aside to reveal a gap, one where they could escape from to god-knows-where. Yuu couldn't muster himself to care.

"Come on now," he whispered, giving Mika a gentle tug. "We should get going. The others are worried about us."

Mika followed without comment, his movements stiff, jerky. His eyes were glazed out, fearful and pain-stricken, focusing on something that Yuu couldn't see. He looked like he was waging war on himself- and do doubt he was, no doubt he was trying to force the monster back, to swallow against the itch in his throat and to gentle the tremor in his muscles.

Yuu closed his eyes and tilted his face upwards, praying to whatever gods, demons, or angels that were watching that Mika would be able to find himself, that what he fear would happen wouldn't come as fast as he thought it was, even though he knew that there was no way to slow a vampire's hunger, not without fresh blood being spilled.

And then he took a deep breath, wiped the fear from his mind, and tightened his grip on Mika's wrists. He didn't have to focus on that right now. He had to focus on getting Mika back to the van, back where his blood vials lay in a padded pouch in the back seat.

Even so, he knew that the solution he was aiming for was but a temporary one, and that there was nothing that any magical being, all-powerful or not, real or imaginary, could do.

They were running out of time.


	24. Chapter 24

All that came after was a daze.

Mika could remember being pulled out of the storage room, the way Yuu's fear-scent lingered in his nose like the taste of blood in the back of his throat. He could remember the way every part of his body _burned,_ burned like the damned, the way his muscles trembled like they wanted to rend each other to pieces and how his heart faltered in its slow, steady beat. He could remember the bitter taste of venom in his mouth, pooling over his tongue, how it had seemed like such an insignificant little thing when Yuu had lead him out into the blinding light and had handed his last vial of blood with hands that trembled with fear, the way the bitter wash of the medication mixed within it barely registered past the cool copper-salt and dust taste of vampire blood.

Now, he lay back in the van, swallowing hard against the dryness in his throat, the stickiness in his mouth that had barely abated when he partook in the blood. Yuu's hand combed through his hair, rubbed soothing circles into the back of his neck, smoothed down the curve of his spine. His other hand was a spot of bright heat on Mika's thigh, just above his boots, where his legs lay on Yuu's lap. Normally, this would fill Mika's head with thoughts that would make his heart beat and his stomach flutter with nervous, anticipatory warmth. Now, he was too focused on trying to calm the shivers wracking his body to care.

He was dying. He knew it. He just wished that death wasn't as painful as it was currently making itself out to be.

Yuu had made up some bullshit lie to keep the squad away from them for a little while- something about Mika accidentally scaring a group of kids that were hiding in the back, and it shaking him badly, badly enough that he had needed some pretty significant alone time. Mika didn't know how they didn't catch that he was lying- Yuu was a terrible liar, half-truth though it was; he much preferred brutal honesty, or pretending the problem he was facing didn't exist. But then again, they didn't know him as well as Mika did. They didn't know his tells, the way his ears reddened when he lied, the way he angled his shoulders to look innocent. Ordinarily, this would have been something to be proud of, something that Mika would have kept like a prized treasure, something that would have given his defense against the poisoned claws of his own misery. Now, though, it was only a pain in his chest, a tightness in his throat that had nothing to do with the knowledge that soon, far too soon for his liking, that would be gone.

 _Don't be so selfish_ ** **,**** he berated himself, feeling disgust well up in him at his sorrow. Yuu had human friends, a pack, a pack who wasn't made up of a scraggly murderer who was more dead than alive. _You're a monster. Yuu doesn't deserve you- he is ambitious enough to take the world if he wanted, why should he settle on you? You are a lost cause, a broken toy kept only out of nostalgia. He has new friends, a new family. He doesn't need you._

The thought hurt. He turned his head and pressed his face into the seat, feeling his eyes burn with frustrated tears that he didn't dare let fall. If Yuu noticed, he'd be upset, and Mika had already fucked up enough things today.

Yuu noticed. Yuu noticed, because of course he did, and responded with a low, soothing rumble that sounded dangerously close to a croon. Mika felt a sharp pain sear through his chest, followed by misery that welled up until it threatened to spill over. Yuu was being so warm, so affectionate, and here he was, lying pathetically on a broken seat after attacking a child like a blood-starved beast. It had been horribly disgusting, something that he had dreaded for quite a while now- and yet Yuu was still treating him kindly. Something about that gentle affection hurt him almost as badly as if Yuu had decided to unsheathe Asuramaru and finish him off himself.

"Hey now. Don't cry." Yuu's hand stroked back up his neck, pressing lightly on his scruff, and tugged gently at his curls, trying to get him to turn around. "It was an accident; you didn't mean to do it. I'll make sure that'll never happen again."

Another blow. Mika closed his eyes, felt the wetness gathering on his lashes, and tried his best not to let the choked, pained cry welling up in his chest let itself loose. There was an empty promise in Yuu's words; Yuu had no idea how to stop the progression, but there was an eager undertone to it that had belied hope. Crushing that seemed cruel- unspeakably so.

He didn't turn around. Yuu frowned, shook his shoulder lightly, but he didn't respond. He didn't trust himself to get anywhere closer to the temptation of Yuu's strong, steady pulse. He didn't trust what he would do if he came too close, knowing that soon the starvation would take him, and his body would crumble to dust.

(He didn't even know if that could happen for him- after all, he was still half-human. Would he bleed out before dying, and then turn to ash? Would he warp into a demon, and then be destroyed by the creature that he had become? Death wasn't so much a certainty for him, and no matter how dulled he was to the thought of dying, this new uncertainty scared him. It was like standing at the lip of an underground crevasse, staring down into the darkness without knowing where he'd fall. Were he human or full vampire, he would know. As it was, he currently had nothing to soothe him on his journey forward- no knowledge, no preparation, no _nothing_.)

Yuu was still in danger. He had not succeeded in running away to a safe place for him, as he had hoped. And sure, he may have had the squad, and sure, Mika was just coming to know them as nice people- but they, too, were naught but a bunch of scared human teenagers trapped away from home, and with two armies hot on their heels, to boot. No, he was not nearly as protected as he should be.

Something was shaking him. Someone smelled sour with fear. Mika blinked, the hazy gray blobs of the car around him consolidating into their proper figures, and realized, abruptly, that the person was Yuu. He had zoned out during those few minutes of pondering, slipping halfway through into torpor- there no doubt Yuu was worried that he was going to lose him. Shame over being so weak washed over him, quickly followed by guilt at worrying Yuu so much. He shouldn't be scaring him so badly, he shouldn't waste so much of his life worrying over him. This wasn't his fight to take.

"Mika?" Fuck. He sounded so _scared_. "Mika, are you alright?"

No. "Well enough." He turned his head just enough to see Yuu's sharp frown. He forgot that Yuu knew his tells for lying, too. "Don't look at me like that, Yuu. This wasn't as bad as it could have been." Fuck, fuck fuck, he was just digging himself a deeper and deeper hole the more he opened his mouth. There was a rumble in Yuu's chest that sounded suspiciously like a snarl, a dangerous light in his eyes that promised death to all that hurt him- yet the hand combing through his hair was still so gentle, handling him like he was something precious. It make his heartbeat flutter in his throat, his instincts scream out to twist himself onto his back and bare himself to the alpha above him, show him just how much he trusted and loved him. He wanted to tip his head back, bare the scent glands on his throat, and coo to him softly, to urge him to lay down with him and press his teeth to his neck, to feel the croon in his chest that whispered _I love you, I love you._

But that was a selfish desire to give in to, and he had no interest in making things awkward for Yuu. So instead, he did the next best thing; he turned over, feeling the weight of Yuu's arm slide away, and rose up, pressing his hand to his cheek before he could take it back. Yuu's breath hitched, but he had no chance to revel in the sweet flush of red that stained his cheeks- the information that Krul had told him before he left her was burning in his mind, and he knew that there was no way in hell that he could take it to his grave- not if he wanted Yuu to live, not if he wanted the demon army to be stopped.

"Yuu," he said, putting all the emphasis he could into his words to catch his attention- and Yuu's eyes fixated on his, alert, unwavering, the perfect image of alpha loyalty. Mika let out a hard breath, tried to breathe steady and slow so that the flush of desire that shivered through him wouldn't betray itself in his scent. "There's something I need to tell you- something very important, something you need to know about the demon army, and the Hyakuya orphanage."

"Wait, the orphanage?" Yuu's nose scrunched. Mika fought down the urge to kiss it. "What about them? I don't know what they have to do with the army, but-"

"They have _everything_ to do with the army." Yuu's eyes were painfully bright as he looked at him- painfully innocent, painfully free. He didn't want anyone to ruin that; and yet here he was, doing just that. "Yuu...you know how the army had been doing human experimentations, right? With the primary focus on summoning angels?" Yuu nodded, opening his mouth, but Mika didn't give him a chance to speak. He didn't want to hear whatever excuses Yuu had to say. "The orphanage was involved in that as well. They were racing the army to try to create a successful seraphic awakening, one that they could control and use to their own purposes. The experiment was called the Seraph of the End, and many of the people being experimented on were young children. Young children, just like us. And many of their experiments failed." He glanced down at their interlaced fingers as Yuu's grip tightened, stroking his thumb over the back of his palm. "A good many of the kids couldn't take the drain the seraphs exacted on their bodies. They became weak, sickly beings, oftentimes with malformed limbs from failed transformations. All required life support to survive, and all of them suffered." He didn't have to look up to see how upset Yuu was- his scent was sour, heartbeat fluttering. He did it anyways, because he loved pain, and was heartbroken by the sick expression on his face.

"How do you know this?" Yuu shuffled closer, frown deepening. The sick horror on his face was gone, his feelings betrayed only by how pale he was-and yet he still managed to bring his free hand to Mika's cheek and stroke it lovingly, concerned about his well-being even though he himself probably felt like shit. He was tantalizingly within kissing range. Mika was just about ready to cry from frustration. "I don't doubt you, but...this sounds like some high-level stuff. How did you learn all this when you were in the vampire capital?"

"I wasn't always in Sanguinem, Yuu." Mika looked away from Yuu's lips, biting the inside of his cheek to try to keep himself from doing something reckless and desperate. It just wasn't _fair. Yuu_ wasn't fair. "Krul couldn't keep me in the capital for too long; she couldn't dare risk inciting the nobles by showing too much favoritism towards a guard like me. During the four years away from you, I was deployed overseas to go survey the situations the humans had gotten into that may have triggered the apocalypse. We knew it was the Seraph of the End experiments...but what we didn't know was just how many lives the humans were willing to ruin to achieve an act that even demons consider taboo."

 _A little girl, tangled in a web of chains and suspended in a tank full of water, the breathing mask bound to her face the only thing keeping her alive. Mangled wings, ragged feathers that would never see flight poking out of flesh, the pleading look in her dull brown eyes as she begged him to kill her._

 _The way her blood had smelled, splattered against the cold stone floor, had almost been enough to make him sick._

Mika closed his eyes against the onslaught of memories, and tried to breathe, even though he knew deep within that he had no real need for it.

 _Deep breath in on four, hold, deep breath out on four. Slow your thoughts. Let your mind slow to murk, let the images slip away through your fingers, let them go. Focus on steadying your racing heart, focus on relaxing your stance and calming your pheromones, because it's a calling, because Yuu would not hesitate to pull you close to try to comfort you, and because God knows what you'll do if he tries to do that, if he tries to make you seem worth more than what you really are._

 _Focus. Still yourself. Breathe._

"Yuu," he said, hating the tremor in his voice that he had failed to stop, no matter how hard he tried. Yuu's breath hitched, but he didn't dare open his eyes. He couldn't face what Yuu's reaction would be once he told him the awful truth. "I killed them. I had to kill them. They were begging me, they were in so much pain...I couldn't. I couldn't leave them there to suffer. They reminded me of Kota, of Akane and Chihiro. They were their ages. They had a whole life ahead of them, and yet I killed them, just like I killed our pack, our family…"

He hadn't realized he was crying until Yuu's thumb swiped under one eye, and he felt the cold wetness left in its absence. He took a shuddering breath, but didn't try to open his eyes- which soon turned out to be a mistake, as Yuu kissed his eyes gently and pressed his forehead to his, an act so tenderly intimate that Mika was almost overwhelmed by the surging temptation to pin him to the seat and kiss him then and there, future liabilities and depression be damned.

"Don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong." Yuu's voice was strained, mournful, but fiercely protective. The heat of his skin pressed against the cold lifelessness of Mika's was almost unbearable. _Sun and moon, fire to ashes, day to night_ ** **.**** "Mika, they were hurting, and you couldn't save them. Don't blame yourself for that. Blame the sick bastards that made them that way, and everyone who thought that experimenting on children was a good idea." He made a low noise in his throat, something verging curiously close to a growl, and Mika's eyes flew open, startled by the intense stab of heat in his stomach that the sound roused. Yuu's eyes were closed, brow furrowed cutely. His scent, originally subdued by sadness, was now back to full potency, the musky smell of orange blossoms and sea salt as comforting as a warmed blanket to Mika, completely enveloping his own scent, as if Yuu wished to claim him as his. Mika quickly slammed his eyes shut again before his brain could come up with any impromptu ideas. "...You say that the orphanage experimented on kids? So all those times we thought we were safe...all those kids we were with...they were…"

"Experimented on. Used as lab rats, tortured over and over again, all for human greed." Yuu let out a hard exhale- his breath smelled like canned army food. Mika tried and failed to keep his nose from wrinkling in disgust. "The army did it too, and is still doing it to whatever kids are within their grasp. It's part of the reason why they're pursuing us, and part of the reason why we need to get away. Them, and the vampires." He pulled away, opened his eyes. Across from him, Yuu did the same, his emerald irisis a familiar, comforting sight. "The army wants us for experimentation. The vampires- most of them- want us dead." He dropped his gaze, traced meaningless circles into the fading fabric of the van's seats. Some of the stuffing was ripping out; he was caught with the sudden urge to pull it out and hoard it, and shook his head irritably. Useless omega instincts- this was time for a serious conversation, not time to stock up on nesting materials. "That's why the vampire queen told me to run away with you. She, unlike the others, does not see the possibility of awakening seraphs as an unspeakable act of taboo, though no doubt some of her decisions were influenced by her turning me, as well as her knowing what you mean to me. It's likely that I'm the only one who has kept her company in a long, long while."

"But why would she care about what I mean to you?" Yuu frowned in thought and relaxed back against the car window, crossing his arms as he went. "Not that I mean to dismiss it- I'm quite touched, really- but she's a _vampire_ ** **.**** I thought that most of them didn't really give a crap about bonding or anything."

"Because I love you, Yuu." Mika's face burned as he admitted it, butterflies fluttering in his stomach, even though he knew Yuu would most likely not understand the depths of his statement. Looking directly at his alpha became difficult; he dropped his gaze, tilting his head to look away, instinctively presenting, providing him with a declaration in the flesh as well as the words. _I love you more than you could ever know_ ** **.**** "I love you, and she knew that if any harm was to come to you, I would be lost. She wanted a subservient pet to keep her from being lonely, someone who wouldn't bite her back, and to do that, she had to keep you safe from harm." His tone was more bitter than he expected, full of a venom he did not really feel, but was easier to spit than to face the truth.

 _Maybe she cared for me, maybe she did it to keep me calm. I know she was lonely either way. But I can't focus on Krul's motives right now, or what she felt- I can't lose another person who loved me. Not now._

Yuu's breath caught in his chest; whether from his declaration or presentation, Mika did not know. Neither did he bother to wonder, for the next thing Yuu did was pull him into a crushing embrace, tugging him up and forward until Mika was practically on his lap.

"I love you too, Mika," Yuu murmured, breath hot against his ear- and Mika shivered, and closed his eyes, and nuzzled into the hollow of warmth between Yuu's neck and shoulder. Yuu did the same, rubbing his cheek against Mika's scent glands, marking himself against him- and maybe that was the point of this embrace, maybe that was the idea, because he didn't stop when he smelled Mika's scent rise in potency, didn't stop until he was thoroughly marked with Mika's scent. And Mika didn't have to think about his own actions to know he did the same- Yuu's mark was a welcome scent on his neck, one he could distinguish against the sweet sharpness of his own. It was a territory mark, one commonly shared among mates, not friends, and even though it was selfish to hope, selfish to try to take this when he knew that soon he was going to die, he could not stop himself from pressing back, rubbing his neck against Yuu's scent glands until he was doused in his pheromones, and the faint tremor wracking his body stilled to a stop.

Yuu drew his head back once they were done, took a deep, steady inhale through his nose, and then let his breath out with a content sigh. Mika subconsciously followed him, nudging his cheek with his nose, chirring softly- but before he could register what he had done, Yuu had turned into the movement, his warm breath fanning out dangerously close to Mika's lips.

 _This was- this was dangerous. This was something that could not be given, this was something selfish…_

"Mika." Yuu's voice was a soft rumble in his chest, a whisper that ended in a sigh of want. A fierce surge of longing gripped him, sinking red-hot claws into his heart; he arched against Yuu before he could stop himself, a broken croon rising from his throat, hands kneading against his alpha's chest as the weight of his own emotions wrecked him. Yuu's hand slipped up from his back to tangle his fingers in his hair, stroking him softly, and, despite himself, Mika felt his tension slip away, the weight of the imminent future shearing off his shoulders. Yuu still hadn't pulled away, his hazy, half-shut eyes watching Mika's lips, and everything about him was warm, warm, warm and safe like a promise. "Stop shying away. You worry too much."

And it was such a mundane, stupid thing to say, a reassurance not at all fitting for an apocalypse where monsters ran the streets, both human and inhuman. Mika could clearly hear the sound of horsemen screeching in the near distance, coming closer and closer with each heavy step, could see the result of the human's vile experiments shining back in Yuu's unnaturally green eyes, feel the cloying, unnatural cold of living death clinging to his skin like a curse- but it was such a _Yuu_ thing to say, such a Yuu way to think, that against all odds, it worked. It calmed his nerves, fluttered his heart back to life and made him feel hope, even though he knew there was no hope left. He was one of the monsters in the shadows, the death that stalked their every footstep- but Yuu, for some reason, didn't see that. He looked at death, looked at the gleam of a vampire's fangs and the gaping red hole of a horseman's dripping, fleshy maw, and he saw _hope._

Mika hadn't felt hope until Yuu had come into his life. He hadn't known what it felt like to be protected, to be loved, to know there was a future of light ahead when all he saw before was darkness. He'd known that since the first spark of warmth Yuu's shy glance had kindled in his heart, and now that weak little spark had kindled into a wildfire, a blazing-bright beacon that Mika had chased, never knowing when he'd catch it. Never knowing, until now, with his legs on either side of Yuu's hips and Yuu's sultry green gaze locked on his lips.

Fuck it.

 _Fuck it._

He could be selfish for once in his life.

He slipped a hand up, pressed it to Yuu's cheek, and kissed him.

He kissed him with fierce, clumsy desperation, fangs clacking together from the angle, then adjusted and kissed him again. He kissed him like he wanted to do for so many years, trying to convey all the emotions he'd felt for him that he'd never quite spoken out loud- and it was messy, and sloppy, and so, _so_ warm- and he felt the first hot streaks of tears slip down his cheeks, because despite Yuu's warmth, despite his reassurance and the sweet gasp of surprise he made and the way the tightening of his fists in his hair and his coat brought them closer together, it was unmistakably a kiss of goodbye, too.

The grating of chitin on asphalt grew louder. A harsh, ragged scream rent the air. The horsemen patrolling the city had caught their scents, or the scents of the children that had escaped earlier, passed it onto their brethren until the air rang with the sounds of their unholy wailing, and now they were on their way to do what they did best- hunt, kill, and destroy.

Taking on one horseman alone was dangerous enough for a vampire of common blood, possibly deadly for a group of five ragged teenagers and their grief-worn tagalongs. It was part of the reason why the JIDA had steered clear of this particular city during their patrols, and why the vampires had not bothered to clear it out for more livestock holding pens. Mika was not delusional enough to think he could survive this fight. But he wouldn't let himself live to see Yuu killed trying to save him, so he did the responsible, painful thing, and pulled away.

He stumbled back, mourning the loss of Yuu's warmth, mourning the loss of what had come so close to being his. Yuu blinked after him, dazed and confused, lips still parted from kissing, and made a soft, needy whine of want, a sound that went straight to Mika's primal omega brain, a sound that whispered _mate_ and _claim_ and _yours_ to him, even as he wiped the tears from his cheeks and shakily mumbled the words that would stir the blooddrinking vines on his sword to life.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice breaking. Yuu blinked in alarm, stirring out of his shock, and tried to reach for him- but he was too late. Mika had already opened the door to the van and leapt out with his sword drawn and battle-ready, turning back only so he could look at him for one last time. Tears welled in his eyes once more, but he blinked them away before they fell. "I'm sorry, Yuu. But I cannot stop myself from worrying, especially when it's about you."

Yuu's eyes widened, comprehension catching up to him. Mika, bizarrely enough, was reminded of some of the old poetic romantic novels that Krul sometimes liked to read to him when she was bored and intent on making him squirm- the honorable knight, rushing off to the final battle, leaving his damsel in distress behind him, not knowing if he was ever going to come back.

Yuu was far from a damsel in distress, and Mika was in no way a knight, let alone honorable. But there was a certain morbid humor to the situation that reminded him of the days where he used to think it was true- simpler days, when he put on a showy mask and offered up his body in exchange for food, the knowledge that it would make Yuu's day a little bit brighter making every bit of pain and humiliation worth it in the end. Simpler days, when he was first learning about what it felt like to know what it was to hope, when Yuu's first smile at him made him feel more powerful than any god or angel his mother had preached about as she starved him.

So he indulged a bit in nostalgia's sake- he grinned, and winked, however watery it may be, and blew his beloved a kiss. In retrospect, it wasn't the worst way for him to die. Everytime he'd imagined it beforehand, it hadn't included his first kiss. It certainly hadn't included Yuu pulling him up into his lap to hold him like something treasured, then telling him that he loved him.

The sound of tearing metal rent the air, almost indecipherable from the scream of the horsemen as it closed on its prey, the shouts of the squad as they darted out of the building its massive front claws were rending through. Yuu, perhaps finally understanding what he was planning on doing, cursed and screamed his name- but by then Mika had already closed the distance to the menace by half, and whatever he had said afterwards had been lost to the wind.

The first spurt of blood from the monster's hide felt like hellfire on his skin. Mika closed his eyes, breathed in the stench of copper welling under his blade, and let the heat of battle consume him for the last time.


	25. Chapter 25

What an _asshole._

What a fucking _asshole._

The horseman above him screamed again, a broken, warbling cry made to paralyze the humans below it. Yuu grit his teeth and studiously ignored it, giving it a retaliating blow in the form of a hard-handed swing to the leg, right where the insectile carapace of the thing bisected into a joint.

Blood sprayed from the open wound, a veritable fountainhead of vile, pressurized warmth, and Yuu scrambled to get out from under the thing as it screeched and stomped its good legs around, trying vainly to swipe at him from under its belly. He took a quick punish jab at the claw reaching for him; it did nothing but chip the creature's exoskeleton, but the horseman still flinched away, allowing him ample time to back away before it realized that he was no longer within crushing distance.

The hulking monster clicked its many teeth, dubiously-venomous saliva dribbling from its maw as it turned in a tight loop, showcasing how deadly it could be; not that Yuu wasn't already aware of how bad of a position he was currently in. It was facing him heads-on, it was relatively small for a horseman, and above all, it was _fast._ Technically, Yuu wasn't supposed to be fighting this thing on his own- but he was in the specifically foul mood one got when faced with a certain mix of worry, fear, and frustration, and both he and the squad knew he fought well when mad. Or, well, they already had their hands full enough with killing starving many-legged monstrosities to not be able to spare some help to him anyways. Mitsuba wasn't screaming at him to be careful, and Narumi hadn't hooked his trident in his shirt to pull him back yet, which was indicator enough that no one was paying attention to him.

Which was, quite frankly, perfectly fine with him. He was still trying to work over just how he felt about Mika giving him the old smooch- and- run.

"He _kissed_ me!" He grumbled, waving his sword vaguely to punctuate his words; the horseman hissed, gross slash of a jaw undulating in warning, so he waved it again, this time directly at the monster. "He _kissed_ me and then ran off before I even got a chance to kiss him back! Not to mention he took that fucking _suicidal hero stance_ before abandoning me in the fucking car! What a fucking _asshole!_ "

Another listener might have offered some condolences before trying to take his head off; the horseman, however, had no such whim, nor the slightest care about the romantic misfortunes of its prey. Once its slow lizard brain realized that Yuu wasn't immediately rushing to kill it, it decided to take the initiative, and charged him with a piercing, screaming howl that sent chills racing up and down Yuu's spine. He barely managed to dodge in time, feeling his heart race as the creature crashed past him like a charging bull, the wild raw beat of his alpha instincts in his head the only thing that pushed him up to his feet and shove his sword against its side to finish the damn thing.

 _Protect the pack. Find your mate. Kill those who dare to try to hurt them. They are family. They must not be harmed._

He bared his teeth, squared his shoulders, and tipped his head down, allowing himself some time to calm down before he looked around- and when he did, he was glad he decided to go for being defensive and territorial instead of trying to fight with a clear head. Listening to his gut served him well. He hadn't noticed just how well the horseman had managed to back him into a corner until now; he only had a few meters left between him and the wall of the supermarket, and, had the monster decided to charge, it would have made maneuvering out of the corner extremely difficult. He glanced away from his potential trap to eye the twitching, hissing carcass with disgust, watching as the thing's life poured out of the rent he tore in its side, and then turned away. That was just one down; there were at least four more to go. And Yuu hadn't caught a hint of Mika's scent or trail past the scattered, vampire-slashed limbs of another horseman's body that he must have left behind in his stupid attempt to keep everyone safe.

Reflexively, he pressed his fingers to his throat, right against the scent gland that Mika had rubbed against. His scentmark was still there, sweet and familiar against his skin; each time he scented his pheromones, butterflies fluttered in his chest. Mika had undoubtedly claimed him, made it clear that he saw Yuu as _his_. It was no wonder he was so riled up; Mika, instinctively or no, had shown that he was more than interested in courting him; _asked_ him to, really. The alpha in his mind was more than ready to reciproced, and was none too pleased by his disappearance or the threat to his presence. According to the feral part of his brain, taking out all the competitors that could possibly hurt his partner- _his_ omega- was the first step to winning him over.

But Yuu had long grown accustomed to his animalistic urges, and was able to push away the more emotional side of his rutting instincts in exchange for reason. He glanced around the parking lot, taking in the sight of the horsemen milling about trying to eat his squadmates; everybody seemed to be doing well enough for people technically outclassed by their opponents in everything except for speed and intelligence. He watched the battle, took note of whoever was closest to his position- Shinoa and Mitsuba, at the moment- and then made a beeline for them, trusting in Asuramaru's strength to give him the ability to duck and weave beneath the legs of whatever giant mutated lobster abominations decided to swipe at him next.

The girls were doing fine work bringing down the horseman they were fighting; already, two of its legs were severed at the joints, the stumps slicking the ground with blood, at least three others broken and dragging. Yuu picked his way around the sticky waste and flicked his sword clean, preparing to fight- but then Mitsuba let out a frustrated, enraged yell and slammed her blade into the ground, and the resulting beam of blue demon fire that shot from it cleaved the monster in two before he could take a swing.

Shinoa stepped back, breathing heavily; she hadn't noticed Yuu yet, too captivated with watching Mitsuba glare at her kill to spot him. Yuu caught her scent as he trotted closer- battle rage mixed with courting interest, and ducked his head, embarrassed, only just realizing that he'd walked into something. Shinoa glanced at him, gave him a quick, assertive look-over, and then walked over to where Mitsuba was pulling her blade out of the asphalt, pressing her fingers against the small of her back.

Mitsuba looked up at the touch, brow furrowed, and locked eyes with Yuu, tilting her head inquisitively. He glanced over at Shinoa, looking for her permission to come closer; though her eyes and scent were still battle-wild, she smiled at him without showing her canines, and so he sheathed his blade and strode over, confident now that he would not dick himself over too badly by barging in when he was not wanted.

"Yuu, did you take out that horseman by yourself?" Oh, wonderful. Mitsuba was frowning at him, lips pressed tightly together; he was in trouble. The wild look in her eyes and trickle of horseman blood running down her face did nothing to ease his anxiety. Shinoa took one look at his face and started snickering- now he _wished_ she sent him away. Great. "You already know you're not supposed to fight on your own, no matter how many enemies they are or how easy they are to bring down. Do you _realize_ how much trouble that we'd be in if you got hurt and-"

Fuck, he didn't have _time_ for nitpicking.

"That doesn't matter! Mika's gone missing." Yuu blurted out. Mitsuba's frown of disapproval turned to one of consternation, Shinoa's teasing smirk fading to a grim, tight line. Yuu looked back and forth between them, feeling a hint of hysteria well up as he saw how unhappy the both of them looked; if they hadn't noticed him gone, that didn't bode well for his search. "Have you seen him? He ran off on me when I was trying to calm him down- he's in no condition to fight right now. I need to get to him before he fucks himself up any more than he already has, and _fast._ "

"...Anymore than he already has?" Mitsuba looked queasy; Yuu felt a brief flash of appreciation for her concern, one that was quickly covered up once he realized that no matter how sweet it was that she cared for his first family, it wouldn't help him find Mika. "But Yuu, I thought you said he had enough blood to be okay."

"He didn't. He lied, because he's a self-sacrificing dumbass like that." Yuu quickly flashed through his memories, tried to remember how much blood Mika had taken. A half a vial at most, not nearly enough to satiate a vampire- and he hadn't let him see just how much he had left in the satchel. He'd thought he just did that because he was uncomfortable with drinking in front of him; but now that he thought about it, _really_ thought about it, it quickly became clear to him that Mika would never, _never_ choose the possibility to be dangerous instead of just uncomfortable, and that the way he'd held his satchel away from Yuu had been deliberate.

What little irritation he had left disappeared, crushed by the heavy weight of fear. He knew exactly what it meant when Mika hid something from him.

"Oh, _god._ " He clutched at his hair, not minding the splatters of blood on his hands, too worried to mind about them drying it into awkward spikes. His own fear-scent soured the air the air, sharp against the cloying scent of dying things; Mitsuba stiffened and took a reflexive step forward, but he weaved away from her, recoiling from her touch. Behind her, Shinoa's face turned calculative, then blank- no doubt she had just come to the same conclusion he had, and it wasn't something that she liked very much. "He doesn't have any blood left. _That's_ why he didn't drink as much- he wasn't trying to be polite, he was _starving_." He glanced between the two of them, wild with worry- all of them knew what happened to those who starved. "And he's going to fight horsemen while- oh _god,_ I was fucking _blind._ "

 _I can't lose him again. I_ _ **can't.**_ _If I do, I don't know...I don't know…_

"Yuu, calm down. Listen to me." Shinoa stepped forward, grabbing his shoulder to pull him down to her level. The strong smell of blood and alpha musk helped snap him back into focus; he hadn't realized just how fast he'd been breathing until he noticed his chest aching, his vision spinning. Behind them, another horseman screamed, joints clicking as it tried and failed to dodge a vivid green bolt of fire, and that too grounded him; he was in a battlefield. He had no time to panic. To panic was to face death, and he couldn't die now- not while Mika still needed him. "Mika should be fine. I've seen vampires that haven't drinken anything in weeks still be able to fight viciously enough to snap a soldier's arm clean off, and he at least had some blood before ran away, right?" Yuu nodded, breathing slowing, and Shinoa let out an audible sigh of relief, a tight, tired smile quirking her lips. "There you go. As long as he doesn't get too badly injured, he won't be in any immediate danger. And then we can discuss how to get him some more blood together, as a group; I know it's going to be hard to convince him. Maybe if we all try, he'll listen" She glanced away uneasily after she said that, biting her lip- neither of them wanted to acknowledge what that might entail. Yuu silently made the decision to be the one to offer up his blood first; he was the only one who'd be able to force Mika to drink if he disagreed with the decision, as he knew he would, and there was no plausible way to get him anything safe to drink that wasn't human. "Mitsu, did you..?"

"I didn't see him fight. He's a vampire, he's too damn quick, and I was a bit busy trying to ensure that you wouldn't get eaten to worry about him." Mitsuba swung her axe up over her shoulder, fingers drumming a nervous beat on the handle, and yet her gaze was steady and sure as she locked eyes with Yuu, her mild beta scent calming him, forcing him to listen to her reasoning. "But I did hear him, and see his spoils. He fought off some of the bigger ones before they managed to get too close to us, then ran off, angling to the left." She swept a hand out to gesture to somewhere deeper within the city- somewhere that would be a veritable arena for a vampire to fight in, but hell for a normal soldier, demon-possessed and all. "The horsemen around here are starving. They hadn't had a meal in ages; any that are close enough to know we're here are coming to try to take a bite. I bet he knew that, and decided to go take on the stragglers before we could be worn out and overwhelmed battling the ones that showed up."

Yuu swore- Mitsuba's logic was sound, and helped ground him, but he wasn't too pleased by the knowledge that he'd headed into the city. Mika was a cunning expert in hiding himself, difficult to find even when Yuu knew where to look, and suicidal enough to throw himself to the hoards without caring about the consequences. He could easily handle the smaller horsemen, yes- but he could have just as easily managed to wind himself up into an area infested with them injured and alone, a possibility Yuu didn't like to consider.

"You saw him go into the city? Are you sure?" He swept his gaze between the two of them, incredulous; both of them remained tight-lipped and grim, too serious to be anything but sure, and he growled, his protective instincts surging to the forefront again. Asuramaru stirred in the back of his mind, extended a claw-tipped hand for him to take, and he accepted it, letting the rush of demon power surge in his veins, magical energy sweeping away what tendrils of tiredness still clung to him post-battle. Shinoa frowned, stepping forward as if to catch his arm; he took a quick hop-step back, burning with energy, not wanting to be held down, not sure what would happen if he did.

"I need to go after him. And I need you two to not come along." Shinoa froze in place, eyes widening, and Mitsuba shouted something in alarm- but Yuu didn't stop to listen. He swept his gaze over them, asserting himself with a stance and a look; they quieted, albeit very reluctantly, not wanting to push a panicked alpha. Their submission calmed him in turn, and he softened his voice, letting his own unhappiness with the current situation show in his scent and posture to let them know he understood, and was not shunning them. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. But Mika isn't feeling all that well"- a major understatement- "and he hates showing weakness even when he's around me, who he knows will help him. If I take you two along, he'll only hide it more, and it'll end up with him having a real bitch of a breakdown later. I can't risk that happening."

Mitsuba glanced at Shinoa, wordlessly asking her for her advice; Yuu was respected enough, but he was technically her subordinate in experience. Yuu bit his lip to cut off his whine of impatience, but didn't have long to wait. Shinoa looked directly back at her instead of trying to challenge him, tilting her head thoughtfully, and then nodded slowly and looked back at Yuu, their silent communion complete. "We understand. But Yuu?" Shinoa stepped forward, squaring her shoulders assertively; Yuu tensed, worried that she would try to pull her dominance over him, but all she did was place a hand on his shoulder and look at him grimly. "Be safe. You know Mika better than I ever would, but if he's running from you, then there must be something out there that's scared him. And both you and I know just how dangerous an omega can be when scared- let alone one imbued with vampire instincts."

Yuu stared at her, voice locked in his throat. He didn't have to ask what she meant. He didn't have to tell her just how scared he really was, just how horrible it had felt when he had realized that the kiss Mika had given him was most likely intended to be a final farewell; as much as they bickered, as much as he tried to undermine her authority, he knew that she knew when he was vulnerable. And he knew, that no matter how much she would pretend to act on it sometimes, she would never use it to harm him. He didn't know much about Shinoa Hiiragi- her past, her motivations, what made and broke her- but he did know that she was loyal, honest, and steadfast until the very end.

He just didn't know if she knew him well enough to read the torment that was no doubt shining clear in his eyes.

 _He kissed me. He kissed me, and ran, but only because he thought that he would never come back, not just because he was scared of what I might think._

He probably should say something about it- something to ease the worry building on his chest- but all he managed was a nod. Shinoa squeezed his shoulder, one final act of reassurance, and then stepped away, swirling her scythe out to leap back into battle anew.

Yuu didn't watch her go. He turned to the city, to where the corpses of the horsemen Mika killed still steamed, and took off running, following the trail of death and gore that he had left behind.

.

.

.

Blood. He needed human blood.

Mika dragged himself into the shadow of a building's doorway, breath coming in wet, ragged pants, mind clouded with thirst. His chest and entire right side was sticky with his own blood, and throbbed with pain; a horseman had managed to snag a lucky blow on him when he was fighting another one of their kin, and then another had come in and stabbed him when he was down, and then another- his eyes rolled up into his head, and he shuddered all over, weak from pain and desperation. His veins burned, like sand was moving through them instead of liquid, his head light, body thrumming and tingling with a nervous kind of energy that felt like it would pull him apart at any second. Reasoning was dwindling, and fast; there was an animal in his head, filling his mind with desperation, blocking out everything but feel of the fire in his side and the dry, aching thirst raging in his throat.

What little humanity he had left was screaming at him, full of fear and self-loathing. _Pick yourself up, finish yourself off, you're going feral-_ but when he weakly moved his hand to his side to grab the hilt of his sword, he found only empty space. Trying to scrounge for memories didn't help; he didn't know where it was. Gone, maybe for good. Probably not. His blade had been forged and fused with his blood; he'd heard legends that would disintegrate when he died, find him if he didn't, but he hadn't been around enough other progenitors with first-class weapons to know if those legend were true. Most likely it was just a few paces away, hidden under an obstacle that tricked his starved mind into thinking it was lost. It was hard to think after all, when all you wanted was the sweet, rich taste of human blood.

Mika swallowed hard against the pain and dug his claws into his fist, using the sudden sparks of pain to ground him.

Either way, it wasn't here, and he didn't know if he had enough energy to try to double back and find it. The wound on his side still wept red tears, raw and open; he wasn't healing, and there was an ominous burn radiating out from it that told him it was fatal without blood. He would die here, in this small dark building he dragged himself into, slow and broken and alone.

Frustration filled him: frustration at the bloodlust, frustration at his injuries, frustration at himself for losing his sword, for not being able to die a human death. He flicked his tongue over his dry lips, and hissed like the monster that was slowly consuming him, letting his anger and hatred and disappointment crash over him like a wave. He hadn't managed to kill all the horsemen; his humans would be killed. He hadn't managed to save Yuu. He hadn't even been able to take him far enough out of the JIDA's clutches for him to be free for any more than a few weeks at best- that was only delaying the inevitable, and the black demons that controlled the human army were hardly known to be merciful to their prey. And now, he was here, bleeding out at the claw of a fucking _horseman_ , of all creatures, and he didn't even have the decency to finish himself off.

Slowly, surely, the anger died away, replaced by a numbness that might have terrified him, had he not been so exhausted and used to it already. There was no other option left to him than to wait-wait until he bled out, wait until he burned himself out trying to heal a wound he didnt have the energy or blood to do. Mika coughed hard, paying no mind to the flecks of blood that splattered the floor in front of him, then dragged himself off to curl up in a darkened corner with a soft whine of pain.

He had nothing left to give.

.

.

.

The longer the trail persisted, the more worried Yuu got.

Following it was relatively easy; fighting horseman was a hard messy deal, given the size, strength, and sheer amount of blood the creatures had, but for all their bluster, the path of destruction they left was a relatively linear one. Horsemen relied heavily on charge attacks to frighten their prey and to close distance quickly, and while they were good at that, they were not altogether good at stopping, or turning quickly. All Yuu had to do to know where Mika went was to follow the trails of blood and freshly-broken buildings, the only splitting points in the trail the spots where the horseman's body lay and a new spread of blood viscera, and property damage started.

Try as he might, he couldn't capture Mika's scent amidst the reek of freshly-dead bodies. Most likely, he had traveled by leaping to and from the backs of horseman and the buildings surrounding them, like any normal vampire would, but knowing that did nothing to calm his alpha instincts, screaming at him to find his pack to find his mate before something worse found him first. In the back of his mind, Asuramaru paced, like a wolf hungry for the hunt; this, too, only served to fuel his anxiety, the anticipatory thrum coming off the demon filling his veins with nervous energy.

The horsemen themselves were not nearly as many as they had seemed from a distance- fear always made enemies seem more numerous- but the length of the battles that had taken place before they fell set him on edge. He knew how insanely strong Mika was; he had seen how easily vampires weaker than he dispatched horsemen, and he'd personally seen him take on stronger, quicker, more intelligent enemies like Guren, his squad, and Ferid's noble follower as if they were nothing. The stretch of blood and carnage should not be nearly as long as it was.

An advertising pillar for a shopping mall had fallen, bisecting the road; beyond it, Yuu could see the corpse of a massive horseman, split-open hide still steaming with the dissipating remains of the creature's body heat. Yuu's gaze sharpened, nostrils flaring to catch a familiar scent purely by instinct; he didn't find anything beneath the stench of death, but it didn't matter to him anyways. That kill was fresh- he knew it, the stirring alpha within him knew it, the demon stalking his mind knew it. And where there was a fresh-kill, there was a Mika.

He leapt up, grabbing onto the edge of the concrete block, and hauled himself up with a grunt of effort- Asuramaru refused to help him in menial tasks, no matter how small or how urgent the context was- and slowly stood up, careful to not lose his balance. From here, he could see the corpse of the horseman, a massive creature spilling equally massive guts out onto the cracked road. Beside it lay another horseman much smaller than its companion, legs still twitching weakly in its death throes- and, Yuu noticed with a flare of panic, bloodied across its grasping tendrils in a way that couldn't have come from itself.

He leapt off the pillar, barely noticing the skin being sheared off his palms by the rubble when he stumbled the landing, and ran over, a high, pained whine sounding in his chest. This close to the monster, he could see that the spasms that wracked it were nothing more than post-death tremors, but that did nothing to calm the fear surging through him. He did not fear being grasped and rent to pieces by a creature caught in the desperation of dying; he feared the evidence of what he might find on its claws.

And that fear was confirmed the second he could get close enough to scent the bloodstains coating them. The splatters themselves were ominous enough- the horseman couldn't have gotten itself that bloody unless it stabbed itself- but the scent of the blood on it sealed the deal. It didn't have the same heavy, old-copper reek of the horseman blood that surrounded it; instead, it was the musky, ashy scent of vampire blood, tinged with something vaguely reminiscent of a human's. It was a scent that Yuu had smelled before in battle, far too many times than he would have liked, something that he never wanted to smell ever again.

 _Mika._

Panic hit him hard, send him reeling; he took a hard breath in, choked on it, tried not to hyperventilate as terror rose in his throat like bile. That was a lot of blood to lose... and Mika was already starving, and starving vampires didn't-

"Mika!" Yuu turned in a circle, listening hard for a cry back, looking for a spot of movement, _anything._ Nothing came. " _Mika!"_

Again, no answer. Tears stung his eyes, and he forced them back, along with the rising images of a small, dying child in his arms, looking up at him with frightened blue eyes. Not again. Never again. He couldn't bear to live if it happened again- coming back the first time was hard enough, he didn't see how he could survive if Mika died again. This time, when he called out, his voice broke, the sharp, high pitch of it reminiscent of when he'd screamed to Sanguinem's false skies. "Mika, dammit, if you're still alive, answer me! Give me a call, a sign, _anything!"_

He stopped, listened with bated breath; no sound came but the rush of the wind through the ruins, and he would have probably done something reckless and stupid if Asuramaru didn't surge to the forefront of his mind and pin down his emotions before they lead him into ruin. Yuu hissed, shaking his head from the whiplash of going from panicked agony to sudden numbness, but Asuramaru didn't let up- instead, he seized onto Yuu's mind with a vicelike grip, forcing him to see the world through a demon's eyes.

Every scent sharpened, every emotion dulled, anxious alpha instincts replaced with the alert, predatory instincts of a demon. Yuu could still feel his original self writhing below the surface of Asuramaru's control, like whatever he had been feeling beforehand had been trapped in a bubble, but everytime he reached out to pop it, the coil of Asuramaru's control wound tighter.

 _Stop,_ he hissed. Shadows flickered at the edge of Yuu's vision, manifesting into the form of a lithe young boy sporting a fierce, fanged frown whenever he didn't look directly at them. _Listen. Your love for Mika is blinding your common sense. Use your head instead of your heart, and maybe you'll find him before it's too late._

"Before it's too late?" Yuu echoed; he probably would have panicked again, if Asuramaru hadn't stomped hard enough on his heart to nearly give him whiplash. "What's happening? How do you know what's going on?"

The shadow in the corner facepalmed. _Yuu, you fucking idiot, you know well enough that I share your mind as well as your body. I see what you see, smell what you smell. But you can't see into my mind like I can into yours- and thank the Fallen for that- otherwise you'd already know why I know what's going on. I know the scent of a starving vampire, Yuu, even though you don't. You haven't been around enough vampires to pick up on their pheromones. I do. I used to be a vampire, remember?_ Asuramaru stuck out his fangs, flicked his tongue over their sharp points. _I know what starving smells like. In fact, it was my second death. Mikaela may not be a full vampire yet, but he has enough of their pheromones for me to be able to distinguish them, even through your untrained human nose. And I can tell you that he doesn't have much time left._ Yuu took a shaky breath, and Asuramaru's eyes narrowed. _No. Don't feel, think. You know that blood is his, right? And I know that if he's that badly starved, the chance that his wound fully healed is slim, and he won't be thinking properly enough to staunch it. Now look at the bloodstain again. Look for the trails he might have left. He's sure to have continued bleeding; find his trail, and follow it._ _**Hunt.**_

Asuramaru's form dissipated. Yuu released a breath he didn't know he was holding as he felt his control lessen, though he could tell that the demon was still vigilant. The panic came rushing back, as well as the fear, but this time, with it came something that had been hidden under his worry: sheer, stubborn determination.

Mika wasn't gone yet. He hadn't lost him. He could still save him.

He looked again at the blood covering the horseman's claws; it was almost fully congealed, but there was still a slight stickiness to it that indicated that whenever Mika had been injured, it hadn't been long ago. He couldn't have gone far.

He backed up and began to circle, trying to get away from the horseman's blood pool. It was difficult- the monsters bled a _lot_ \- but eventually he spotted a splotch of blood that was far enough away from the corpse for it to have probably not come from the battle.

He walked up to it, and spotted another. And then another, and another- Asuramaru had been right. Mika had been injured enough to leave a trail of blood.

An angry growl rent the air, and it took him a few tense seconds to figure out it was him who was snarling. His instincts surged; he was still afraid and upset, but now that he had even more explicit proof of Mika being badly injured, he was _angry._ The alpha within him was roaring, protectiveness surging to the forefront of his mind; he wanted to slaughter whatever hurt him, rush to his side, and tend to him, keeping him safely hidden away until all his wounds had healed and he was strong enough to stand by his side again.

But the creatures that had hurt him were already dead, and what waited ahead of him could be far more dangerous than an ordinary horseman. Just to be safe, he unsheathed Asuramaru; he had no interest in using the blade, but the weight of it was reassuring, and the demon glow served as a good knew Mika; he knew that while Mika did not care much about his safety, he wouldn't leave a trail of his own blood unless he wasn't thinking clearly.

A flash of memory struck him; the image of Mika stalking after a child, eyes feral, movements jerky, predatory. He had been thirsty then- just how bad would he be now, injured and trapped on the verge of death?

 _No. Not death. Mika won't die. He_ _ **can't.**_

His hands trembled on the hilt of his sword, but he took a deep breath and kept going. The trail was erratic, sometimes marked by bloody handprints instead of normal splatters, but he kept his head and still went on. The scent of fear and sadness was sharp in his nose, mixed in with the mingled smell of blood to the point where he could no longer tell whether it was his, or some marker that Mika had left behind.

To his relief, the trail didn't go very far. One second, he was scanning the ground for another mark, and the next second, he found himself shoving his way through the dark, half-collapsed ruin of some building's doorway, urged on by instinct and the guiding hiss of Asuramaru's ' _there,_ _ **there**_ ' in his head. The logical part of his mind screamed at him to back out, to scan the area in front of him for traps, for some indicator that Mika was here, but that part shut down quickly once he slipped into the room and was hit by the quiet, rasping sound of someone's heavy breathing.

The area- whatever it was- stank of blood and fear, a horribly fresh contrast to the older undercurrent of dust and mildew. Yuu recoiled, his hackles raising at the smell of it, and took a cautious breath in, trying to distinguish Mika's mark under the stench of everything around him.

And he found it. Once the shock from the scent of gore and rot passed, he could begin to tell the horseman and vampire blood apart- and how, despite the way the horseman's taint disguised Mika's mark and the smell of his blood, there was a noticeably larger amount of it than there was of the creatures he had slain.

With his heart in his throat and the tingle of demon magic in his veins, he crept forward, closer to the sound of the breathing. All his alpha instincts screamed at him to jump forward, to cover and covet the injured omega he knew lay before him- but his fear and memories screamed back at them, reminding him of where he was, of just how dangerous a starving, injured vampire could be.

"...Mika?" he called out, hoping beyond hope that there was still some reason left in the person before him. The sound of breathing stopped. Yuu flinched, trying to seek out Mika's familiar silhouette, but his eyes were still adjusting, and in the dim light of the room around him, he couldn't distinguish one dark shape from another. "Mika, if you can hear me, please-"

A low, grating growl and the sound of fabric flapping through the air was the only warning Yuu had before something heavy and wet with blood slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. All the air rushed out of his lungs as he hit the floor, _hard,_ his head spinning with the impact; it was only thanks to Asuramaru's quick reflexes that brought his sword up to block as a clawed hand swung downwards to pin him down, the horrifying screech of talons on metal howling through the air. The rasping, gurgling growl turned desperate; Yuu had to hurriedly turn the sharpened edge of his sword towards himself as Mika (oh no, Mika!) lurched forward and tried to snap at his exposed throat _over_ the blade, the pale, glimmering glint of fangs in the sickly green light the only thing he could see of his family's (best friend? Lover's?) face before he had to lurch backwards to pant raggedly for breath.

"Mika! Are you okay?" Yuu tried to sit up, struggling to put Asuramaru away- he didn't need Mika any more injured than he already was- but he didn't make it very far before Mika's hand closed on his throat, forcing him back down to the ground. Yuu shut his eyes tight, wincing as the pain from his head injury returned, and shoved at his chest, trying to hold his omega back as he descended again, jaws snapping, the hand not keeping him down doing its best to pull his collar open. The surge of adrenaline he experienced at the sight convinced Asuramaru to help along with his vision adjusting.

The sight he saw wasn't pretty. Mika's pupils were mere slits in the pale circle of his irises, his face splattered with blood, the hair on the left side of his face glued to his cheek with it. His snarl was a grimace of pain and pure, feral desperation, baring four long fangs slick with a mix of venom and vampire blood- Mika had bitten through his own tongue at some point, and the wound hadn't closed, bloodying his fangs. He didn't look like a person- he looked like an animal. Yuu's stomach dropped again, whatever little hope he had left shriveling away. Mika looked too far gone, lost in his bloodlust and desperate, instinctual attempts to save himself. He slid a hand up to his throat, pressing against the scent glands there, working to try to soothe him, to bring the person he loved back from the brink of his own raw, all-consuming hunger. " _Mika!_ Speak to me!"

"Stop…stop it." What was left ofMika's voice was naught but a gutteral rasp in his throat. He shook his head out of Yuu's grasp, weaving back and forth with the motion, and tipped the alpha's head back, baring his throat. This time, when his heart skipped a beat, it was for an entirely different reason, one that he valiantly decided to ignore. "Be quiet. It hurts. It _hurts._ " He crouched down again, limbs trembling with the motion, and this time, when he bared his teeth, it was a snarl of misery. Yuu couldn't see any trace of humanity in those blue, blue eyes- only fear, and hunger, and pain, the thin slits of his pupils highlighting the monster controlling his mind. "It hurts, it hurts, it _hurts!_ I need blood, I need blood right now, I need to make it stop! Be quiet, be _quiet,_ be quiet, it hurts too much, it hurts too much when I talk. I just need to drink. Only a little. Only a little bit will make it stop." He leaned down, took a closer look at him, and Yuu flinched on instinct, one hand coming up to Mika's throat to push his head away, and Mika _whimpered_ , high-pitched and almost human, a quiet, wretched cry for help that shook him down to the very bones.

Yuu looked at him- looked at the blood splattered over him, at the weakness trembling in his limbs- and realized, with a sickening sort of lurch, that despite the fact that he was still strong enough to keep him down, Mika was only just barely hanging on. There was no vampire blood around he could use to heal him- if that would heal him at all, if there was the slightest chance in the world that something so old, so diluted, could help save him. He knew Mika would rather die than to fully become a vampire; but then he thought of the gaping, horrible lonlieness and pain he felt when Mika was away, the terror of losing someone else that he loved, and he looked at the agony in Mika's eyes, and he thought, _not again._

 _Not again. Never again. Not when I can help it._

He sighed, sad but resolute, and let go.

The vampire above him let out a hiss of surprise as the resistance he was pushing against disappeared, but Yuu didn't give him enough time to recover. Instead, he tangled a hand in Mika's hair, pressed him down until he felt his panting breaths puff against his skin, and tipped his head back, exposing his throat.

"It's okay, Mika." He stroked a hand over the scruff of his neck, rubbing his palm over Mika's scent glands again, just as he knew he liked it. The tension melting out of Mika was palatable; even though he was almost entirely lost to the vampire at the moment, there was still the slightest scrap of him left in there, finally within reach, now that he wasn't trying to fight for control. Yuu smiled sadly, crooned softly at him and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain of the puncture. The cool wash of Mika's breath tickled his neck, and he shivered inadvertently; having Mika's teeth close to his throat was exciting for an entirely different reason, even though he knew no bonding would actually happen outside of the mating season, even though he knew that this was far from a claiming bite. "Don't you remember? You're not a monster. You'll never hurt me. I told you that love you unconditionally, and I do. Even now, I'm not afraid. I'll never be afraid of you, Mika."

Mika's fangs were cool when he pressed them against his throat, but he didn't bite- he seemed frozen, confused. Yuu pressed him closer against him, thinking that he just needed a little more encouragement- but then Mika jerked in his arms and lurched away, whimpering as if he'd been struck. Yuu's eyes flew open, alarmed at the pullback, and was met with Mika's terrified gaze as he scrambled back, clamping his hand over his mouth like he was about to throw up.

"Mika!" Yuu gasped, scrambling up to stop his retreat- but that only made Mika backtrack faster, limping, until he finally tripped, slammed into a table, and knocked a lamp over. The shattering sound it made when it hit the floor startled him, and he whipped around, a horrible, sobbing scream tearing out of his lungs; his scent flared in the air, sour with fear and revulsion. Blood leaked out from a massive tear on his uniform; there was a terrible look on his face, caught somewhere between being on the verge of tears and agony, somewhere between panic and self-loathing. Yuu hadn't seen him nearly so upset, so terrified, since the day he fled Sanguinem- a memory that did nothing to help calm him down.

"Mika! Listen to me!" The vampire's head whipped around, pupils contracting again as he looked at him, and he trembled like a leaf in the wind, clapping his other hand over his mouth as a fit of horrible, wet coughing wracked him. Yuu lunged forward, arms outstretched to try to help him; but Mika flinched away, taking his hands away from his mouth as he wheezed for air. Yuu watched with horror as fresh blood slowly leaked out from between his fingers, staining the already torn, bloodied cloth; Mika glanced down at the wetness coating his hands, gasping for breath, but didn't seem either surprised or scared by what he found there, a reaction that scared Yuu senseless, even as he tried to keep calm for his omega's sake. "Mika, you're not okay, I was just trying to help. Talk to me, _please_ \- is there any way I can help you? Any way at all?" The vampire shivered, looked away; Yuu stopped staying calm very, very quickly. "Mika! _Answer me!"_

Mika flinched, glanced at Yuu for a split second, glanced away. "My sword. Give me my sword." He looked around the room with wild eyes, still trying to back away, as if _Yuu_ was the dangerous one, not him. It hurt for a split second, before Yuu realized that he was most likely only scared of himself, and then it hurt even more. "I need my sword. Quickly, please. Now. Before I hurt you." He scrunched his face up as if in pain, running his tongue over his teeth, then turned and spat bloody venom into the ruins of the vase. His claws were still out, flexing against his thighs, as if he was one step away from tearing into his own flesh to to try to relieve himself of his own thirst. The stench of starvation and death was stronger, a simmering reek that Yuu never, ever wanted to scent again. "Yuu. _Please."_

"I don't have your sword," Yuu said slowly, confused beyond measure; and then the all-too familiar pieces began to fall into place, and his stomach dropped, nausea and horror filling its place. He stared at Mika- at the frightened, miserable tears in his eyes, at the way he clawed at himself rather than making any attempt to staunch his wounds, at the way he was afraid of hurting Yuu instead of his own health- and thought that he might throw up. This wasn't happening. This could _not_ possibly be happening. But it was, and he knew it, and he couldn't keep the hysterical shake out of his voice as he asked, quietly, terribly: "Mika. What do you plan to do with your sword?"

Mika flinched as if struck, lowering his head in shame. It was a look that Yuu knew far, far too well; he had seen it on himself in the mirror, after all, during the nights he had stared at himself with a knife to his throat and his mind filled only with thoughts of how he shouldn't be alive.

"Mika. No. No." He moved without thinking about it, grabbing onto Mika's shoulders before he could get away. The vampire flinched guiltily, trying to jerk away, but Yuu didn't let him. "Mika, you can't. You _can't_ die. Not after everything we've been through! We have to save you. Somehow, anyway possible- whatever it is, you drinking my blood, drinking someone else's blood, I'll do it. I don't care if it'll hurt me- losing you will hurt me more." He blinked back tears, tried to swallow down the sob choking his throat, to no avail. "Mika, I can't lose you again. I _can't."_

Mika looked him in the eyes, and the despair in his gaze tore him asunder. There were tears slipping down his cheeks, brightening his icy blue eyes; a shade of blue that he loved, a shade that, if he had his way, would soon be replaced by a dull, bloody red. "Yuu, trust me, this is one of the last things I wanted to happen right now. But living as a full vampire?" He made a wounded noise in the back of his throat; Yuu had to struggle hard against the urge to tuck him under his chin, knowing full well that he might injure Mika further in the process. "Yuu, if my turning is completed, I will _never age._ I'll lose the last of my humanity, I'll lose everything I ever was. I'll become a monster." He shuddered, reaching up a hand to press at his throat as he swallowed painfully; Yuu's eyes were drawn to the red that spotted his gloves, the shiver that shook him. "Do you want that, Yuu? Do you _want_ me to suffer on as a vampire, the very creature that murdered our family? Or will you let me-"

"-Die here?" Yuu finished, and he shook his head, wiping away the last of his tears. He had had enough- if he didn't act now, he would do something even more reckless and stupid than the plan that had just jumped to his head, something that might end in his death, or a double suicide. He hated Romeo and Juliet. He didn't want to fall to that same stupid cliche. "When we still don't know if the turning is permanent? When I still told you, that despite anything you became, I would love you just as you are? When I would search the ends of the earth to give us a chance to be happy? No." He drew Asuramaru; Mika's eyes locked onto it, at once frightened and longing, and Yuu had to swallow down the sickly panic he felt when he saw how Mika viewed his blade. The sharp, stinging pain of the gash he opened on his forearm was nothing in comparison to the burning surge of emotions and instincts he was feeling: _fear, hurt, terror, sorrow, love, protectfulness._ _**Understanding.**_ "I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't let you, Mika."

Mika's nostrils flared, pupils thinning to slits again at the scent of fresh blood. He hissed, low and serpentine, and then stepped back, limping as he went.

"You would rather me become a monster than let me die human?" Mika was shaking now, baring his teeth in a snarl; Yuu recognized his anger as desperate, and decided to tune out whatever Mika was about to say. He was just scared, scared of what he had come so close to doing; Yuu had been there before. He'd calm down eventually, anyways. He always did, no matter how mad he got. "You would rather let me _suffer?_ You're selfish, Yuu! Absolutely selfish!" He shook his head, running his tongue over his teeth, and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look like he was in control. Yuu didn't miss the way his claws sank into himself, trying to use the pain to stay grounded. Slowly, surely, Mika's resistance was beginning to crumble. "Yuu, it _hurts_ **.** It hurts too much. I can't live on with the guilt, I can't handle knowing I became what you despise, even if you say otherwise. You're the last of the only family I ever had, you _know_ I should have died for what I did, I _can't-"_

He looked so broken, so alone. Yuu couldn't take it anymore.

"You don't think I know how you feel? You don't think I thought the exact same thing after I left you to die, over and over and over again?" He slammed Asuramaru back into his sheath, jabbing the finger of his cut arm out at Mika. The vampire jerked back, shivering in hunger, but still managed to sternly glare back at him somehow, stubborn until the very end. "Mika, the night I left you, I wanted to die. I wanted to die so badly that if Guren hadn't locked the window to his apartment, I would have jumped." Mika's fear-scent spiked the air, and Yuu closed his eyes, struggling against the urge to shut up so that he wouldn't scare him further. Mika _needed_ to know. It wouldn't be right to think he was all alone. "All the times I was mean to you, to Akane, to all the kids- it made me think of how fucking awful it was for me to survive. Out of all the wonderful, innocent people in our family, it was me, the asshole brat who survived. It _still_ hurts. Because living hurts, more than anything else in the world. But I kept going, even though it felt impossible, and I found you again. I found another family, another group of people who needed me." He opened his eyes, breathed out, and opened his arms wide- he was crying, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. The sorrowful, broken person across from him was the only thing he could bother to care about right now. " _Yes_ , I'm selfish. I know it. But we don't know what the future holds. And if I lose you-" His voice broke, and he struggled to clear it, breathing as deeply as he could to try to calm himself. For once, Asuramaru was wonderfully, blessedly silent, not using his weakness against him- maybe he sensed Yuu wouldn't tolerate it if he did. "If I lose you, all of that new hope will be gone."

Mika took a deep breath in, held it, and then breathed out hard. Tears were flowing freely down his face; unlike Yuu, he made no attempt to stop them so that he could speak. Yuu could see the struggle in him, the fear of what was to come next, and gave one final, gentle nudge.

"Drink, Mika." He placed two fingers on either edge of the cut, urged it bleed more, offered it out to the dying vampire in front of him like an olive branch. "It's okay."

And his walls broke down.

Mika made a horrible, wounded noise in the back of his throat, gouging his claws deeper into himself, and then he looked up. Yuu had one last glance of desperate, tear-filled blue eyes, and then Mika lunged for him with an agonized scream, and oh.

 _Oh._

The bite didn't hurt like he thought he would. There was a sharp sting as the fangs entered his neck- his neck, his _neck_ , Mika went for his neck instead of his arm- and then there was a surge of light, floating bliss, pleasure singing through his veins as the venom took hold and numbed him out. He barely registered the thud of them colliding against a couch; all he could feel,all he could _think_ about was Mika pressed up against him, pinning him in place, the weight of him straddling his lap the only grounding thing he had as his body warmed and tingled pleasantly. Vaguely, he was aware of his hands grasping at Mika's back, tangling in his cape- but that seemed irrelevant in the sudden wave of comfort that he felt once he realized that he was safe, that _Mika_ was safe, that he would not lose him now, (and, if he had any say in it) ever again.

He smiled, blissed out with a mixture of relief and neurotoxins, and slid a hand up into Mika's hair, carding his fingers through it as he pressed him closer. Mika let out a soft rumble against his skin- a purr? A growl? Yuu was okay with either- and hooked an arm around Yuu's back, trying to lift him for a better angle, to which Yuu happily obliged. Having Mika here, pressed up against him, feeding off his blood- it felt great. Right. Like he was giving back in some small way, owning up to the mistake he made when he left Mika behind to die all alone.

 _He's yours. He's here, and he's yours, and you're protecting him, keeping him safe, as you were born to do. It's right. This is right._

 _ **This is where you belong.**_

"Welcome home, Mika," he whispered- and his omega shivered against him, pulled back to lick the blood from his lips and stare at him, incredulous. And Yuu watched, with a mixture of sadness and awe, as the blue of his eyes slowly darkened and shifted, turning from a beautiful sky blue to the colour of blood spilled fresh from the vein.

"Home? We have no home." Mika's voice was hoarse from crying, but already he sounded stronger, clearer, what could be scented of him under the reek of blood finally free from pain. He licked his lips- whether from nervousness, or simply because he was a messy biter- and Yuu's eyes followed the motion, hungry again for a kiss, now that the immediate danger had passed. "We never did, Yuu. We're orphans, the both of us." And then he paused, raised an eyebrow, looked at Yuu like he wanted to hope for something, but was too afraid to fully commit. "...Unless you have some miraculous plan that I don't know about yet."

The sarcasm in his voice was tangible. Yuu grinned, happy to see the Mika he knew was back, and pulled him closer, heart soaring at the small, startled noise he made when he squeezed him tight."Maybe so. But until then...you're home. You're my home, Mika. Wherever you are- that's where I belong." Mika's breath hitched, his eyes widening as he flushed, and Yuu grinned sheepishly, his cheeks warming. "Wow, that's cheesier than I meant it to be. But really, Mika, you mean more to me than I think you give yourself credit for." He softened his voice, letting sincerity show through his words, and brought his hand up to stroke Mika's cheek, brushing away the dried blood still stuck there to marvel at the newfound hue of his skin. Fully turning, ironically enough, made Mika seem more alive than before. More _real._ "Even if you are an asshole sometimes."

"What, like keeping you alive? Someone has to be the responsible one here," Mika snarked, though the rebuttal was weak as Yuu stroked a finger under his jaw, slow and undeniably intimate. Yuu could feel the slight buzz of a purr there, right by the slow, faint pulse of a vampire's heartbeat, and grinned. Turning him hadn't taken that away from him, the way he'd grow soft and shocked and quiet everytime someone showed affection to him. Yuu hoped that someday, the shock of being loved might wear away, but until then, it was a great tool to put him right where he wanted him to be.

"No. For kissing me, and then running off before giving me a chance to run back, you ass." A light, playful flick to the underside of his throat snapped Mika to full alertness, shock and embarrassment lighting up his face, but Yuu didn't give him a chance to stew in his mortification. Instead, he tilted his head up so that he had no choice but to look right at him, gave him his signature troublemaker's smirk, and bit down on his lip, _hard._

His teeth were still pretty sharp from Asuramaru's near-possession; he tore through the skin near-instantly. Blood welled up, warm and salty, and Mika's pupils slitted, locking onto it instantaneously. Shock flashed over his face, mixed with disbelief- but all it took was one slight encouraging nudge before he lunged forward and pressed Yuu back into the couch for a kiss, a deep, hungry groan rumbling through his throat.

Yuu sighed happily, a croon rising in his chest, and kissed back with just as much vigor, butterflies fluttering in his belly at the feel of Mika's soft lips pressing against his. The sting of his cut lip was barely noticeable, just another hot spark against the heat warming his body- until Mika licked at it, the rough, bloodletting patch on his tongue sending a tingle through his lips, and _that_ sting roared through him like a wildfire, weakening his joints, making him very, _very_ aware of Mika's weight pressed against him.

He pulled back, pretending he needed air rather than time to very sternly tell himself not to jump ahead of things (especially now that he knew Mika was here to stay), and watched as Mika leaned away slowly, eyes hooded and dazed, as if he had just been awarded what he wanted the most in the world and couldn't believe what was happening to him. Yuu felt mostly the same- but he was also just as aware of how sweet and alluring Mika suddenly smelled, the way he subconsciously tilted his head _just_ so, offering himself up to Yuu for the taking, and he was very, _very_ acutely aware that if he didn't get them out of a conveniently dark, enclosed room in time, the alpha in him might be very much inclined to just decide to give up on going back to the squad altogether in favor of courting and taking care of his new mate.

"So anyways," he said- and coughed to clear the huskiness in his voice _, jeez_ where was his self-control, lightheadedness from bloodloss was hardly an excuse- "You're a dick, and next time you want to kiss me, _give me time to reciprocate, dammit._ " He leaned forward, nudged his nose teasingly against Mika's, and smiled at the purr it got out of him. "Or else I might be forced to pull that little trick again."

"Dirty play," Mika whispered, making no attempt to keep the longing out of his voice. His eyes were still locked on Yuu's lips, a smudge of red that Yuu knew was his blood coating his own, and it looked _good_ , felt good. Yuu could hardly believe he was his. "Very, very dirty play, Yuu. The worst."

Yuu leaned his head back, and laughed. Mika blinked at him, snapped out of his reverie, and smiled, quietly, hesitantly. Yuu loved him for it.

"Yeah, well, like I said, you're a dick!" He urged Mika off his lap; his partner went with nary a complaint, though perhaps that was only because he followed him up as quick as he could, and hid his sudden wave of dizziness by taking his hand and leaning into him like the drunken, lovestruck fool he was proud to be. "But luckily, luckily for you, I like dicks. A lot. And you can't try to call me a dick either." He pulled a leaf out of Shinoa's book and leaned forward, wiggling his eyebrows as Mika turned red and spluttered indignantly. "Because now I know that you do too."

Mika looked away, embarrassed, adorable, flushed red and pretty because of it. His smile was still a little self-conscious, still a little sad- but that was okay. Yuu knew that there was more to do to banish that unhappiness than a simple kiss and a few jokes, no matter how funny they were. He really was a brilliant jokester when he was suffering from bloodloss, actually. He should do this more often. It was a wonderful way to take him out to dinner, after all, since dinner was him!

"No. No you shouldn't." Mika turned to him and gave him a stern look, and that was the only way Yuu realized that he'd been saying all that shit out loud. "Drinking the blood of family is already degrading enough to you as is- I'm not going to make it even more fucked up by making you my dinner. It's not right, Yuu. I shouldn't be drinking your blood at all."

Oh, what a very noble, very Mika thing to say. Yuu snorted, rolled his eyes, and then tugged on their intertwined hands, leading Mika towards the exit, towards where the rest of their family lay in wait for them.

"Frankly, I'd be insulted if you _didn't_ drink my blood." He tried to usher Mika through the doorway, like he used to see alphas do for their partner, but nearly fell over when the block of concrete he was on wobbled. Mika ended up carrying him out instead- something he was quite alright with. Just feeling him there, solid and alive and very much not bleeding to death- that was worth far, far more than his pride. "I put you into that situation, I'm your alpha. There is nothing degrading about being yours, or keeping you safe.." Mika's cheeks pinkened at those words- and oh, it was such a lovely sight, especially in the light of day. Yuu wanted to see him liked that forever, shy, flustered, _loved._ He smiled up at the sun, at the clear blue sky, and decided, on a whim, that while pale blue was a lovely colour and all, he was starting to think that red was also just as wonderful and lovely. It wasn't the colour of death and monsters to him anymore- it was the colour of hope, of new life. "I mean, it's my job to do so- you may protect me, but you always seem to forget that you need someone to protect you, too. That's what I do." He jumped up the concrete slab, rolled over, and grinned up at Mika as he perched up above him, catlike, ethereal, _beautiful._ He was an angel- the only god Yuu thought was worth praying to. He didn't care if it sounded lovestruck, or cheesy, or indicated he was still intoxified on venom. As long as it was Mika intoxicating him, as long as he was still alive, he didn't care. He couldn't.

Well. He did care about one other thing. But he blamed it more on his own competitiveness and curiosity than anything else, really.

"And besides," Yuu said, turning away with a smirk as he watched Mika leap down, "I bet I taste a whole hell of a lot better than anybody else, either."

Mika's landing was a lot less elegant and a whole lot more stumbly and embarrassed than it probably should have been. Yuu tipped his head back and laughed until his sides ached, reveling in the simple pleasure of watching his beloved scrunch his nose at him in indignation, at the simple pleasure of knowing he wasn't alone, and that Mika wouldn't leave him anytime soon, if ever again.

It was a beautiful day to be alive.


End file.
